Shaping Futures: Insights from our Northern Ireland event
Last month we had the pleasure of meeting people from across the skills community in Northern Ireland at an event we held at the fantastic Titanic Quarter Campus (Belfast Met College).
Joining us on the day were representatives from government, further education, training providers, standard setting organisations – and of course us, a regulated qualifications and apprenticeship assessment provider.
The purpose was to discuss skills needs in the Northern Ireland region – taking a look at what was working and what needed to happen in the future. It was also a chance to share best practice and insights from across different sectors (including health and social care, travel and tourism, and hospitality), something which doesn’t always get to happen in the day to day running of things!
Key themes and insights
Work readiness of employees
One of the discussion points throughout the day was around the experiences of people entering the workforce and the reality not matching expectations. There is more to be done on two fronts here – one is greater collaboration between learners, training providers and employers, so that the pipeline into the workforce is a positive and productive one. The second is greater workplace management skills being developed, so that entrants into each sector is supported and equipped to progress in their careers from the very beginning.
Demand outstripping supply in social care
In social care, many of the delegates spoke about the difficulty in obtained placements for those seeking to enter the workplace. There is a mismatch here between the recognised need of foundation level social care as a priority skills development area, and the job market reality. More work needs to be done to sort funding and placements so that those looking to enter this sector – and they will be sorely needed in the coming years – have accessible routes and progression opportunities. Ultimately this is an underpinning workforce development need to ensure high quality social care for people and patients.
Dedicated qualifications for Northern Ireland
The working environment in Northern Ireland differs from other UK nations, and the qualification landscape needs to respond and reflect the skills, regulatory and legislative environment within which it operates. Developing further qualifications specific to Northern Ireland will ensure that the skills and knowledge of learners meet the needs of employers in the region – something that iCQ are proud to already be actively working on with employers and training providers.
Memorable moments
It was a pleasure to have Erin Savage, Head of Apprenticeship Policy and Strategic Engagement, from the Department for the Economy join us on the day and talk about the Skills Action Plan and the Apprenticeship Action Plan.
It was also great to hear from Sharon Foster, Workforce Planner at Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) talk about the Care in Practice Framework and how they are encouraging participation in their Social Care Workforce Strategy 2025-2035.
John Rogers, Chief Executive of The Workforce Development Trust, parent group to iCQ, comments
“This was a great day to come together and have important conversations about skills development as a whole community, an invaluable chance to talk as a single eco-system when so many are often focussed on the delivery of their part of the process.
“There was real commitment to collaboration and shared vision for Northern Ireland, and many positive conversations about actions we can be taking.
The connections made will bear out into positive impacts for skills, jobs, and people in the future.”
Neil Heys, iCQ Consultant who oversees much of the work we do in Northern Ireland, adds:
“It was also great to meet many of the training providers that iCQ support in person to discuss their goals and challenges as well.
“We walk away with a deeper understanding of what we can be doing in our work to support training providers, learners, and the future of the workforce for Northern Ireland.
“I look forward to following up on all of the conversations and making some good things happen!”
What’s next?
The event was a forum to share and discuss – but where do we go from here?
A number of exciting opportunities are being progressed as a result of the event, including opening conversations to how workforce planning can help address some of the identified gaps in social care and work readiness of new entrants to the market, as well as progression planning.
iCQ are also in discussion to open up more health and social care qualifications eligible for funding through government channels, enabling greater foundational skills access for the sector.
We are also in discussions with centres about how emerging travel and tourism apprenticeship schemes and qualifications can be used to bolster both the Northern Irish tourism sector and it’s workforce.
Skills for Health and iCQ are collaborating on qualifications and industry-leading eLearning packages which can help support learning journeys in healthcare – a benefit of being sister organisations and offering a seamless customer journey.
Thank you to all of our attendees who engaged and shared through the event. Their insights, challenges, and energy have actively contributed to shaping futures in Northern Ireland. We look forward to supporting them all with future opportunities.
Missed the event but want to be involved in the conversation?
Speak to a member of the team to find out how iCQ – or the wider Workforce Development Trust – can help with your needs and challenges.
