Question Time: Employment and Learning Monday 09 November 2015
Minister for
Employment and Learning, Stephen Farry, discussed the impact of the closure of
the school of modern languages at Ulster University during today’s Question
Time. The Minister explained that the closure of the school was the result
of budget cuts imposed on the Department. In making the decision on which
courses to cut the University considered a number of factors including
student demand, attrition rates, student satisfaction, employment statistics
and research performance. The Minister revealed that the demand for the course
is low while acknowledging the concerns among business and other stakeholders.
The Minister did however discuss the potential for the Department to give
consideration to the provision of a business language academy through the
Assured Skills programme although he tempered this by saying “however, that is
dependent on an identified need of a group of employers, where the availability
of language skills is impeding the growth of a particular sector.”
The Minister
then discussed the progress that has been made on post-19 special educational
needs (SEN) provision. The Minister outlined the Department’s commitment to
post-19 SEN provision with a range of education, skills and employment
provision such as Training for Success, apprenticeships, further and higher
education, programmes funded through the European social fund, careers guidance
and employment support services. A number of strategic changes have also
been implemented to improve support and services. These include the outworking
of the review of careers support; the implementation of the new youth training
strategy, Generating our Success; the further education strategy; an employment
and skills strategy for people with disabilities; the delivery of a wide range
of support services under the new European social fund programme; and the new
economic inactivity strategy. Mr Farry is confident that “those initiatives
will put in place additional and improved provision that young people with
learning difficulties or disabilities can access to achieve their education,
skills and employment goals.”
During
Question Time the Minister also addressed queries on difficulties with the
European Social Fund, employee gaps in the construction sector, skilled workers
in the manufacturing industry and the Steps 2 Success programme.
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