To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning how he is engaging with local businesses outside of Belfast and Londonderry to discuss their skills needs.

Meeting the skills needs of employers remains crucial to ensuring a strong and vibrant economy in Northern Ireland. I have therefore developed a number of channels to ensure that there is effective two-way communication on skills issues. These are designed to reflect the needs of employers across the region.

I personally chair three working groups representing key priority sectors. These are the Food and Drink Industry Working Group, the Information and Communications Technology Working Group and the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Services Working Group. The membership of these groups includes employers, further and higher education representatives, officials and others with relevant interests. These provide a valuable forum through which employers can articulate their skills needs and interact directly with service and programme providers.

In addition, I meet regularly with individual employers and representatives of particular sectors. I also meet with organisations such as Chambers of Commerce, the Institute of Directors and the local Confederation of British Industry which provide the opportunity for me to get a clear perspective on skills needs across Northern Ireland.

At a local level, Further Education Colleges have employer engagement teams in place to meet with employers and respond to their skills needs. Meeting the skills needs of local business is central to the strategic purpose of the Further Education Colleges and they are well placed to respond in a positive way through their general provision and also the Employer Support Programme which helps small and medium sized enterprises to identify and meet skills needs through a collaborative approach. My Department’s Assured Skills programme works in collaboration with indigenous and foreign direct investment companies throughout Northern Ireland to deliver the skills they need. Training is delivered through the Academy model by the Further Education sector, including recruitment and pre-employment training.Using funding secured from the Executive’s Change Fund, Academies have been delivered for employers across Northern Ireland, for example on welding for SDC Trailers in Toombridge and MDF Engineering in Antrim; export sales and marketing for Mallaghan Engineering, EMS and Linden foods in Dungannon, Cubis from Craigavon and Whale Pumps from Bangor.

In addition, the Employment Service supports all businesses across Northern Ireland by providing a comprehensive range of products and services designed to assist employers to fill vacancies with appropriately skilled staff. This includes engaging proactively with urban and rural employers and the local community sector to promote a better understanding of the skills development and employment opportunities available.The Employer Engagement Team supports local employers by ensuring that people of all skill levels and geographic location are given individually tailored advice and guidance to help address skill deficits in local areas. Plans are also well advanced for the introduction of Employment Liaison Officers whose role will be to establish positive and constructive relationships with local employers and to assist them to recruit suitable skilled staff.

My Department is also committed to working with employers across Northern Ireland to meet their skills needs through the provision of apprenticeships. I have established an interim Strategic Advisory Forum to provide oversight of the new model for apprenticeships. The Forum is already advising on issues concerning the implementation of this new model. It will also address the issue of how employers, particularly small and micro businesses can be encouraged to engage with the new system.I have also established sector partnerships in support of apprenticeships covering the ICT, manufacturing and engineering and agri-food sectors. These partnerships will ensure employer needs are at the centre of the new system for apprenticeships through developing and agreeing the curriculum and content for relevant occupational areas at each skills level.

Further partnerships are being established over the coming months to cover construction, financial services, utilities and life sciences.