To ask the Minister for the Economy what engagement he has had with the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise in relation to addressing the labour and skills shortage locally, and the subsequent pressures on the agri-food industry.

My officials are regularly involved in discussions with their counterparts in DAERA and CAFRE on a range of issues. This includes representation from CAFRE at the Tertiary Education Sector Leaders Forum and the Review of Level 4 and 5 Qualifications, for instance.

To support the development and delivery of the apprenticeship system at Level 2 and Level 3, my Department has a Service Level Agreement in place with CAFRE.

CAFRE has successfully delivered Level 5 Higher Level Apprenticeship training in food manufacturing since 2018. From September 2021, it has also begun delivering Level 6 Higher Level Apprenticeship training Food Manufacturing.

The Further and Higher Educational Institutions, including CAFRE, were asked to submit proposals the Skill-up programme. CAFRE did not submit proposals at that time. However, CAFRE will be included in all further calls for proposal submissions for the Skill Up programme.