Question Time: Employment and Learning Tuesday 24 June 2014
Will
Northern Ireland get it’s own veterinary school at the University of Ulster?
That was one of the questions asked of the Minister for Employment and
Learning, Stephen Farry, during today’s question
time. The University has applied to the Department for Employment and
Learning for the appropriate funding to establish a veterinary school and is
currently putting together an economic appraisal to support the project. The
Minister assured that the appraisal will receive an objective analysis but advised
that they will have to weigh the expenditure against other objectives that the
Department may have. The Minister was unable to give any commitment on how the proposal
may advance and was also keen to stress that the cost of training a vet (around
£78,000) is more than most other professions – a key consideration for future
decisions.
Following
the earlier
announcement of the new Northern Ireland strategy on apprenticeships, Jonathan
Craig took the opportunity to ask the Minister what action he will be taking to
encourage the uptake of apprenticeships in Further Education colleges. Mr Farry
said that the Department supports the cost of the off-the-job training provided
by FE colleges and offers financial incentives to employers once the apprentice
has completed the ApprenticeshipsNI programme. He added that the new strategy
also proposes “the introduction of a central service to promote and support
apprenticeship provision for employers and participants that will advertise
centrally apprenticeship vacancies and provide a matching service between
employers and prospective apprentices. The central service will signpost
employers to approved providers of off-the-job training, including further
education colleges.”
Mr Farry
also answered questions on the financial effects of Welfare Reform penalties on
his department, the security of B/E Aerospace jobs in Kilkeel, funding for the
Magee campus of UUJ and the importance of night classes for working people.
During topical questions the Minister also discussed the sale of property owned
by Belfast Metropolitan College, DEL assistance for people who need re-skilled
following redundancy and the slowly improving unemployment rate.
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