To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of the geographical range of Northern Regional College campuses.

In July 2005, my Department commissioned an economic appraisal to look at the future size and structure of the management units of the further education sector to determine how the colleges could best deliver the Department’s strategic aims. This appraisal can be found on the DEL website. As a result of its recommendations, Northern Regional College (NRC) was formed from the merger of Causeway Institute (campuses in Coleraine and Ballymoney), East Antrim Institute (campuses in Newtownabbey and Larne) and the North East Institute (campuses in Magherafelt, Antrim and Ballymena).

The new college structure was created to provide leading edge facilities to better meet the skills training required in a rapidly changing economy. To meet these needs NRC offers students an extensive range of higher education, further education, Training for Success, ApprenticeshipsNI and part-time courses, delivered across its campuses. These courses are available to and studied by students from all over Northern Ireland and beyond, and are not restricted to students living within the locality of the college campuses. There is therefore no ‘geographical range’ as such, although most students who attend NRC will be within relatively straightforward travelling distance from one of its campuses.

You may also wish to note that NRC is currently preparing an outline business case which will consider not only the future size and structure of the college estate, but also the courses to be delivered at each campus.