7 June 2000

FE COLLEGES HAVE KEY ROLE TO PLAY IN KNOWLEDGE-DRIVEN ECONOMY

"Northern Ireland's further education colleges have a significant role to play in the overall development of the innovative and knowledge-driven economy recommended in the Strategy 2010 report," Gerry Loughran, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment has said.

Mr Loughran was speaking at a recent seminar organised by the Industrial Development Board to brief directors and board representatives from the Association of Northern Ireland Colleges (ANIC) and the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education (BIFHE) about industrial development strategy.

The seminar was the first time IDB, the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment, LEDU and T&EA had combined to specifically address and inform the FE sector on their activities and plans.

The CBI Northern Ireland region, the Institute of Directors, the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Northern Ireland Growth Challenge also participated in the seminar.

Said Mr Loughran: "This seminar is an excellent example of the co-ordinated approach developing between the economic agencies and the FE sector to highlight areas of mutual interest.

"Globalisation and the acceleration of technological change have increased competitive pressures dramatically in the last few years and will continue in both intensity and complexity.

"The most significant change by far in these pressures is the dominant role that knowledge will play in determining our future competitiveness. The world is not becoming labour intensive, nor energy intensive but knowledge intensive."

Strategy 2010 had identified the steps needed to transform Northern Ireland into a fast growing, competitive, knowledge-based economy. These included high value added, high wage jobs, a confident 'can do' culture, an educated, creative and flexible workforce and diverse, export orientated sectors.

Achieving these would require a society based on equality and social cohesion, knowledge-led, with a strong enterprise culture, outward looking and focused on self-help.

Mr Loughran said: "The convergence of knowledge-based activity with the traditional areas of vocation skills may require new and innovative approaches from all of us. The FE sector has responded to recent challenges but the speed of change may require all of us to 'raise our game'."

The role of education and training in preparing Northern Ireland for the new information age was another key issue that had been addressed in the recent 'Leapfrog to the Information Age' action plan

"We recognise that the knowledge-based sector generates particular demands for education and training in terms of scale, relevance and quality of provision. Ongoing growth in both e-commerce and ICT business means that appropriate skills provision in Northern Ireland must be developed," he added.

The seminar, which was chaired by Leslie Ross, Industrial Development Board Deputy Chief Executive responsible for the Inward Investment Group, featured presentations from Bruce Robinson, IDB Chief Executive, and Kevin McCann, LEDU's Business Development Director, on existing links between the organisations and the further education sector.

Sean McDonagh, Director of the Skills Initiative Unit, Council of Directors of the Institute of Technology in Dublin, outlined the Republic of Ireland's further education strategy.

Views from the further education sector were provided by Professor Patrick Murphy, BIFHE Director, and the ANIC's Raymond Mullan,