Industry and Educational Institutes Collaborate at e-skills UK Qualification Conference
18 October 2010
Northern Ireland’s IT employers and educators descended on Belfast Metropolitan College this week to attend an e-skills UK Qualification Awareness event aimed at providing educators with an insight into new qualification arrangements within ICT in Northern Ireland.
Designed to support actions described in e-skills UK's SQS Action Plan for Northern Ireland, the event aims to increase awareness of the NI Vocation Qualification Reform Programme and the role of e-skills UK as driving the development of Vocational Qualifications that meet employers' needs, through the process of creating and implementing Sector Skills Strategies.
The event places employers at the heart of the development of vocational qualifications to meet the needs of Northern Ireland's burgeoning IT sector. Speaking from an employer perspective, Andy Ross, chief executive at Northgate Managed Services presented to the delegates focusing on the need for demand driven skill:
"It's a pleasure to welcome key stakeholders to the event and have the opportunity to discuss the exciting new developments in vocational qualifications. Northern Ireland's IT sector is one to be proud of and it's vital we continue to increase awareness - both amongst industry and educational institutes in order to maintain its excellence and generate a sustained footfall of skilled workers.
"The roles offered in the IT sector can be extremely diverse and it's important we have that same diversity in our employees. At Northgate we aim to look beyond qualifications and place as much importance on application and personality. We are confident that we place our employees in the right roles - resulting in better service for our customers."
Karen Price, Chief Executive of e-skills UK, commented:
"There is no question that employers should be at the heart of developing vocational qualifications. They are best placed to know which skills are needed to meet the demands of the sector and how best to apply these. This event is a fantastic opportunity to further encourage collaboration between educational institutes and industry, which we see as essential to ensuring Northern Ireland's IT sector continues to flourish."
