Debate contribution: Education, Skills and Training Provision: SEN Students

Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on 16 June 2025.

MLA

Dr Caoimhe Archibald

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

16 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statement

Heading

Education, Skills and Training Provision: SEN Students

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5010911

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Member for his question. Like him, I very much recognise the campaigning efforts of many on the issue and those who contributed to the work that was undertaken.

As the Member mentioned, that includes some of those whom I met today, including Alma and Dee from Caleb's Cause, who have really shone a light on the issue and must be commended for the work that they have done in that regard.

The review highlights the range of issues that there are to be addressed. Importantly, I think, it gives a voice to all those who contributed as well as to all the young people and their parents, carers and families who face real challenges in accessing the type of support that they need and deserve. As the Minister with responsibility for the Department for the Economy, I am determined to do everything in my remit to make things better and to work across the Executive where other Departments have responsibilities to ensure that we make the type of progress that is needed. As I set out in the statement, I will bring proposals to the Executive in order to ensure that young people, whatever their pathway is, whether it is in further education supported by the Department for the Economy, or whether it a Health-related pathway supported by the Department of Health and the trusts or the community and voluntary sector, get the right support and that they and their families are being supported to get it.

I thank the Member for his question and for taking the time to meet me earlier today. He rightly recognises the cross-departmental nature of the work that is required but also the cross-party support that there is for addressing the challenges that have been outlined. We anticipate that the ETI review will be completed by the autumn, and then the scoping work will be done. It may take up to a year to get an understanding of exactly what is needed, but I am determined to work at pace. I pay tribute to my officials for the work that they have done on the review, and they are determined to work at pace in order to outline what it is that we need to do and then ensure that the provision can be put in place. It is also important to recognise that things are already being undertaken and changes are being made. There are things that have become apparent over the course of the review where good practice is being undertaken, for example, in our further education colleges, and that can be rolled out across the board. There are some things that can be done immediately and others that will take a little bit of time.

I thank the Member for his question. In my statement, I recognised that there are challenges not just for young people but for their parents and their carers, who very often find themselves having either to reduce their hours or leave work. We know that young people with disabilities are five times more likely to not be in education, training or employment than their non-disabled peers. Even with a degree, a young person with a disability finds it much harder to secure employment than a non-disabled graduate. Failing to invest in appropriately supported skills and training opportunities has knock-on impacts on health and well-being and social security costs and creates a ripple effect on economic inactivity and, as I mentioned, parents and carers' household incomes. My officials are in discussions with experts to support us in building the evidence base for that and to help reinforce not just the moral case, which is well made, but the economic case for investment.

I thank the Member for his question. It was one of the issues that became apparent across the review. We measure things in different ways and call things different names, so, for some of the data, there is no direct read-across. However, as I also reflected, things sit in different Departments, and we need to ensure that there is a cross-departmental approach. I will bring proposals to my Executive colleagues on how we can better share knowledge and data to ensure that we can plan for these young people — we know that they are in the education system and that they will go on somewhere afterwards, whether that is to further education or elsewhere — which is important. In my statement, I also mentioned the approach that is in place in Scotland, which is a whole-government approach to transition. I would like to explore that approach with my Executive colleagues, because, when you listen to the range of issues, such as transport, health and income support, you realise that there is a function for all Departments. Therefore, it is important that we work collectively, and that is the right approach.

I thank the Member for her question. The joint careers action plan has been agreed by the Executive. Therefore, it will be published in the very near future. In my statement, I mentioned some of the actions that we are taking to ensure that careers advice and guidance are accessible to all. There should be specific access and support for autistic people in a format that is accessible to them. There should also be advice and guidance tailored to everyone so that we have a truly inclusive Careers Service. Hopefully, that will be reflected when the action plan is published.

I thank the Member for her question. We want to ensure that young people who choose to study in further education are supported to thrive in their courses. The clear message that my officials took away from their extensive stakeholder engagement was the anxiety that is created by the lack of clarity on what support a young person can expect when they move from school to college. The message was particularly emphasised by the 16-year-olds with SEN statements in specialist provision in mainstream schools, who were leaving at the end of year 12 because there was no provision for them in years 13 and 14. It is intended that the assessment and support model will build on the type of model in the school system — the special educational needs statement — and tailor it to the FE college environment. We want to give greater clarity to young people and their families about the support that they can expect, and that will increase the consistency and transparency of support across all areas. After considering the findings of the review, I have approved that approach, and officials, in conjunction with other partners, will now move as quickly as possible to develop the details of the design and administration of the model.

I thank the Member for her question. It is a really important aspect of the support. We know that many organisations in the community and voluntary sector do really amazing work to support young people and adults with learning disabilities and other disabilities. That work can be supported through the social enterprise action plan that we have implemented in the Department. As we move forward, there will be opportunities to ensure that there is that level of engagement with all stakeholders that have a part to play. There is a really important role for our community and voluntary sector to play, particularly in Health-related provision. I am very keen to discuss that with the Minister of Health. I had a brief conversation with him about it this morning, but we need to take a greater look at it. Where there is best practice, we need to roll it out across the board.

I thank the Member for her question. It is important to recognise that there are still big challenges with what we are trying to achieve. I have gone as far as possible within my Department's remit to ensure that we can improve provision and support across colleges and training providers. There are other cohorts of young people who will have a different path into Health-related provision. We need to ensure that similar protections and support are there for them, so I am committed to working with my Executive colleagues to make sure that that is the case. I have spoken to the Health and Education Ministers. They have not yet seen the detail of the proposals that I will bring to the Executive. We will therefore have to discuss them around the Executive table.

I thank the Member for her question. The apprenticeship programme works really well, but I want to see increased representation from a number of different cohorts, including people with disabilities. It has been rightly reflected that the uptake of apprenticeships among people with disabilities is quite poor. We have therefore placed a particular focus on addressing that. Under my apprenticeship inclusion challenge fund, two dedicated disability projects have been selected to test approaches to better apprenticeship participation among, and better outcomes for, those with disabilities. The projects will pilot new pathways to supportive environments that enable individuals with disabilities to thrive and reach their full potential. In addition, we want to co-design a pilot approach to a new model for apprentices with special educational needs in order to maximise their potential in employment. Our aim is to explore a model that will work for employers and potential apprentices to ensure that apprenticeships are a realistic progression pathway for young people with special educational needs who have built their skills through our vocational programmes. That commitment signals my ambition for a workforce that has a place for everyone and in which individuals who are valued for their unique contribution continue to develop their skills throughout their life.

1,611 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:52 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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