Colleges: a lot to learn from Northern Ireland, and a lot for Northern Ireland to learn

The future success of Northern Ireland hangs in the balance. We were already facing enormous challenges – trying to decipher the impacts of Brexit, the implications of automation and of sustainability, while grappling with the highest rates of economic inactivity in the UK and some of the lowest productivity and innovation rates. The reanimating of the Assembly and a new Executive allowed us to begin to tackle these issues with a renewed programme for government and an end to logjams in pursuing new directions and policies. The advent of Covid-19 and its impacts have however amplified and further complicated our way through these challenges. We need every asset we can bring to the table to assist in what will be a long and difficult recovery. And there is one asset that Northern Ireland should be rightly proud of – its six further education colleges. They are central to creating a highly skilled workforce and skills pipeline, they boost innovation, enhance entrepreneurship and competitiveness, and crucially address social exclusion. Our colleges do so much, but they could do so much more.

That is why we became involved in The Independent Commission on the College of the Future – a UK-wide project to look at how we shape a lasting legacy for colleges so that they can help us overcome the problems of today, and prepare ourselves for the challenges of tomorrow. After 18 months of debate, discussions, learning and sharing, the Commission has finally outlined what colleges need to be able to support government, business, communities and people over the next ten years and well beyond. It is an impressive piece of work, and truly UK-wide, having looked at best practice across the four nations. We should all be proud of the significant role Northern Irish colleges have played in demonstrating how colleges can be at the heart of economic and social success.

After extensive work they have published 11 recommendations for the future vibrancy and dynamism of further education colleges across the UK. At the core of these is the institution of a statutory right of access to lifelong learning opportunities up to Level 3 (equivalent to A levels) so that everybody, regardless of their age, background or history has a right to learn and train to get them into meaningful employment as the world of work changes. They also focus on strengthening the relationship between colleges and business to drive innovation and address skills gaps, even before they materialise. The relationship between colleges themselves, and the wider education system, also need to change so that colleges, schools, universities and other training providers are working together towards a shared objective of improving the skills of our workforce and the lives of our citizens. There is also a need to fund colleges in a sensible, long-term way, to allow them to set themselves up to answer long-term problems, and so that we can pay college staff the wages they deserve for the role they play in transforming lives and communities.

In Northern Ireland we can take pride that a number of these recommendations were based on things already happening here. At the Department for Economy Minister Dodds has been working to create a robust Recovery Plan to revive the economy and she has been keen to underline the importance of skills and the role of colleges in that process. She is currently working on a new Northern Ireland Skills Strategy which is due to go to public consultation before Christmas. The strategy will incorporate learning from the OECD and seek to address how skills can assist us in creating higher levels of productivity and innovation, building stronger links between business and the education system and attacking our too high levels of economic inactivity and unemployment especially among young people. Special emphasis will be placed on digital skills, addressing skills imbalances and creating a culture of lifelong learning. In all this Northern Ireland is already moving in the direction of the Commission recommendations. Our pioneering work with the business sector developing programmes such as Assured Skills – retraining graduates for work in the ICT sector or developing a system of Skills Hubs across the region have been incorporated as best practice and recommendations in the report. This is an accolade to what we have already.

To ensure that colleges can play their part to the fullest however in assisting Northern Ireland to survive Covid-19 it is very important that we also heed the parts of the report that deal with resourcing. To do so we must seek to resource colleges to be adaptable, responsive and agile. Over the last 10 years we have in Northern Ireland systematically reduced year on year the resources and funding for education and training – the challenges ahead require restoration. The report can be a starting point for a new conversation about what colleges can really achieve in reviving a battered economy and creating an economically inclusive and successful region.

Commissioner Marie-Thérèse McGivern