Debate contribution: Retaining and Inspiring Young Talent
Debate contribution by Lord Elliott on .
- MLA
- Lord Elliott
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 24 June 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Retaining and Inspiring Young Talent
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4497598
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Today's debate is interesting. It focuses very much on academic students in Northern Ireland and those who leave here, but I will touch on something that Mr Honeyford raised, and that is the issue of apprentices and those who take on a vocational career. They are equally as important to society as those who choose the academic route. I am not saying that the SDLP missed that in its motion, but I did look at the potential for tabling an amendment. I then thought that the motion was focusing on academic issues and therefore decided that it should be kept to those. It would, however, be unwise for us not to focus to some degree on those who wish to take a vocational route and use their skills in that way. I am sure that all of us have tried to get a builder, plasterer, joiner, electrician or plumber recently. It is quite difficult to get one, but if people can get one, most of them know how to charge. They have a very good future here in Northern Ireland. There is lots of work for them and huge potential for them to grow a business. I wish them all well, because they are doing an exceptionally good job. I will now deal with the issue of those who take the academic route. I ask that the Minister address the cap on the number of students attending local universities. I am not entirely sure about the issue. Is it appropriate to have a cap? Can it be amended? Figures released some time ago, which may not be exactly right for this year, show that almost 30% of our students undertake university study across the water, or not in Northern Ireland, I should say. I have listened to some universities say that, if the cap were raised in Northern Ireland to allow more students here to go to local universities, that would help retain those young people here after they had finished their studies. I have also heard it said that raising the cap might increase fees for students who are studying in Northern Ireland, but I understand that students who go across the water to, for example, England pay approximately double the student fees that students here currently pay. Is there therefore potential to lift the cap or, at least, to allow some more local students to attend local universities by increasing it? That would provide universities with an income, and it would help them raise some funding. My understanding is that universities are concerned that, unless there is investment in them, we will suffer economically and struggle even more to keep our students in Northern Ireland. That is something at which we need to look. I am not promoting the issue here now, but I would like to hear the Minister's view, because, if we are having this debate, it is critical that all the issues be on the table and that we hear how we can improve the situation. I also commend the regional colleges. We called them techs, or technical colleges, in my time. Some younger people may not remember them as techs, but the regional colleges have done a lot of work to help skill local communities. They try to tailor a lot of their courses towards what local industries want. For example, tourism and light engineering are very important to my constituency, and I know that the South West College (SWC) tries to promote relevant courses. Finally, I —.
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Member for his intervention. If that is happening, that is detrimental to the area, given the potential for a course to be run there. I know that there is sometimes an issue with numbers; maybe that is not the issue here, but some regional colleges need a certain number of students to make a course viable, and I accept that. It is an interesting debate today. I hope that we look at all aspects of not just higher education but vocational and apprenticeship routes and the issue of the cap at local universities.
685 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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