Debate contribution: Skills Gaps between Young People and Businesses

Debate contribution by Mr Phillip Brett on 30 September 2025.

MLA

Mr Phillip Brett

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

30 September 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Skills Gaps between Young People and Businesses

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5142938

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. The manner in which Members have contributed so far reflects the consensus that exists on our Committee. We want to see the best possible opportunities for all our young people in every corner of Northern Ireland. Yes, that includes the north-west, Sinéad: 100%. As Mr Honeyford said, at the heart of the motion is the simple truth that, if we want to continue to grow our economy, we must invest in our people. Northern Ireland has been fortunate in attracting significant investment in recent years, ranging from advanced manufacturing to fintech and from aerospace to the creative industries. New jobs and opportunities have come to every corner of Northern Ireland, but opportunities are too often missed by our young people because the skills are not in place. The statistics that have been outlined by all previous contributors are stark. According to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), 25,000 young people in Northern Ireland are not in education, employment or training. That is more than one in eight young people between the ages of 16 and 24. That is not a sustainable position, because behind those figures are lives on hold and the potential of those young people being wasted. They are not feeling their actual value and are unable to utilise their full potential. At the same time, nearly 40,000 job vacancies were reported here in 2022, with more than a third left unfilled due to a lack of skills or qualifications among applicants. That mishmash must be addressed urgently. It was the DUP Minister who delivered the 10X skill strategy, which set out a road map for how we could upskill and retain our workforce to meet the demands of the modern economy. Already, some contributors have articulated some of the outworkings of that strategy. It recognised the need to rebalance education towards STEM — the Minister of Education continued that through last week's announcement of additional bursaries for teachers who are in prime and important subjects — expand technical and professional pathways and embed a culture of lifelong learning. I encourage everyone, be they as young as Mr Delargy or older, to take advantage of the SKILL UP programme. The Member for East Antrim who will speak later also engaged in one of those courses, which are supported by the Department for the Economy and are an excellent resource. Regrettably, however, the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) and the Public Accounts Committee have highlighted the slow pace of delivery of that strategy and pointed to a lack of alignment between Departments, which Mr Delargy has articulated in this debate and regularly at Committee. The issue needs to be fixed, but, in our view, the answer is not to abandon the 10X strategy or create another new layer of agencies and structures in an already crowded landscape; instead, we should focus on implementing the strategy properly and coming forward with additional support mechanisms for how we can do that. That is why we support the Alliance motion. We also need to look at our apprenticeship scheme in Northern Ireland. Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I am sure that you, like me, are contacted almost weekly by young people who are unable to secure an apprenticeship place. It is now a case of it being not what you know but who you know. Apprentices tend to be those who have family connections or know someone in that trade. As a Committee, we need to continue to focus on how we ensure that all young people have the opportunity to get the apprenticeship that they deserve, and I know that the Minister is committed to that. We will support the motion. That is how we build a stronger economy and a fairer society and ensure that Northern Ireland works for everyone.

641 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:16 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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