18 May 2001

EDUCATIONALISTS LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD OF INDUSTRY- FARREN

"An initiative, which takes college lecturers out of their classrooms and into industry, is a major step forward in ensuring that the further education sector is well placed to contribute to the development of a knowledge based economy," Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment,
Dr Sean Farren, said today.

Minister Farren was speaking at a major event in Portrush, to evaluate the ‘Lecturers into Industry’ programme.

This programme, which was introduced in September 1999, allows further education lecturers to gain industrial experience through 6-12 week placement schemes and to critically analyse the skills and knowledge currently required in specific vocational areas of the curriculum.

Speaking at the event, the Minister said: "Lecturers into Industry provides frontline lecturers in colleges the opportunity to update their experience of industry. They can relate this knowledge to the curriculum for the benefit of their students and in due course, the local economy, when these students enter, or return to employment.

"Partnership between industry and further education ensures that our workforce has the skills and competencies necessary to compete in today’s knowledge driven economy. Industry appreciates the high quality of further education lecturers engaged in training and this initiative serves to improve and develop partnerships between the two sectors."

The Minister concluded by announcing that the initiative would continue into a third academic year and as well as including the occupational areas of Engineering, Hospitality and Software Engineering it would also embrace the area of construction,

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Lecturers into Industry initiative was set up in 1999. Lecturers undertake placements lasting from six to twelve weeks.