THE Minister for Employment and Learning, Stephen Farry, has called on the business community to make their views known on the future sustainability of higher education in Northern Ireland.
The minister was meeting with Stephen McCully, president, and Nick Coburn, vice-president, of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) to discuss NI Chamber’s publication ‘Growing Something Brilliant, an Action Plan for Growing the Northern Ireland Economy’.
The minister said: “One of the main recommendations within NI Chamber’s Action Plan is the importance of developing the talents and ambitions of our citizens. Higher education drives our knowledge economy by equipping our people with the higher level skills which companies, both local and newly investing, need to grow.
“However, over the past number of years the level of funding made available for higher education has been declining. This year the extent of that disinvestment is hitting new heights, and our universities and university colleges are dealing with cuts of over £16m.
“As a consequence we are seeing over 500 fewer university places at Queen’s and Ulster University this year for local students, rising to BY CLAIRE CRAIG over 1,900 over the next few years. This is extremely detrimental to the local skills needs of business and Northern Ireland’s future economic prosperity.
The remarks come after the launch of the public initiative, ‘The Higher Education Big Conversation’, a discussion aimed at promoting the value of higher education to individuals, the economy and wider society. Opinions will be sought from key stakeholders and the wider public as to how Northern Ireland can secure a sustainable higher education system in the future.
Speaking on behalf of the NI Chamber, Mr McCully said: “I cannot stress the importance of higher level skills to our economy and I urge businesses to join the ‘Higher Education Big Conversation’ and ensure the voices of the business community are heard.”