To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of the number of work placements in East Londonderry that are available to students at the Northern and North Western Regional Colleges.

According to the North West Regional College, there were 45 work placements in training provision and 113 further education placements in the East Londonderry area in the 2013/14 academic year. Similarly, Northern Regional College have confirmed there were 4 work placements in training and 128 further education placements within the East Londonderry area in the 2013/14 academic year.

The process of obtaining, monitoring and evaluating work placements takes significant effort by colleges, but is a key element of the student experience and an integral part of their study.

Research emphasises the importance of work placements. In particular, learners benefit from experience of the work environment to complement their main studies. This is also a very effective way for learners to acquire the all-important employability skills required by employers.

My Department’s current reviews of further education and youth training are considering how work placements can be included in the most effective way in individual students’ programmes of learning.