Young People: Basic Skills

Oral Answers to Questions — Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 3:15 pm on 26 March 2001.

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Photo of Seamus Close Seamus Close Alliance 3:15, 26 March 2001

5. asked the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment to detail what measures are in place to improve the basic skills and work-readiness skills of young people in Northern Ireland.

(AQO 1169/00)

Photo of Sean Farren Sean Farren Social Democratic and Labour Party

Improving the basic and work-readiness skills of young people in Northern Ireland is paramount as regards my Department’s policies and the measures that we are taking in order to address this area of concern. A number of measures are in place, including basic skills education provided by the further education sector; the development of a basic skills strategy for Northern Ireland; Curriculum 2000; the Northern Ireland Business Education Partnership (NIBEP); New Deal 18 Plus and the access strand of the Jobskills programme. All of these provide forms of support regarding basic skills education.

Photo of Seamus Close Seamus Close Alliance

I thank the Minister for his reply. Is he satisfied that the steps that he has outlined would adequately deal with the 34% of people who fail to get employment because of poor attitude, lack of motivation or personality problems?

Photo of Sean Farren Sean Farren Social Democratic and Labour Party

Within my Department, and across all Departments, a task force has been established to address the issue of employability, and the first meeting took place last week. The concerns of those who experience significant deficits in basic skills and who find themselves at greatest risk of immediate unemployment — and of drifting into long-term unemployment — are high on the agenda of the task force.

The basic skills committee of the Educational Guidance Service for Adults is due to report. I understand that the report is on its way to my desk. That report will outline in detail how the strategy, which was published last autumn, with respect to addressing basic skills, should be taken forward. While we still have to test the effectiveness of these measures, a lot of advice has been sought and given, and measures are now being put in place. I trust these measures will remove what we would all regard as a matter of concern and a challenge to us — that we have so many school-leavers and adults with very low levels of basic skills.

Photo of Mrs Annie Courtney Mrs Annie Courtney Social Democratic and Labour Party

Will the Minister outline the progress in the development of a Northern Ireland basic skills strategy and explain how it will benefit young people attempting to gain employment?

Photo of Sean Farren Sean Farren Social Democratic and Labour Party

The measures that I outlined in response to the previous question apply to this question. The basic skills unit within the Educational Guidance Service for Adults, together with the basic skills committee chaired by Richard Sterling, have been working very hard on this issue to give us advice on the broad strategy that we need to adopt. It involves the number of tutors required, the kinds of courses necessary to deal with the deficit of basic skills in the adult community, how and where courses can be provided, the kinds of resources — particularly in terms of electronic delivery — that we might use, and the number of tutors and places that we can make available over the next few years.

When that has been worked up to a series of implementation procedures, I will be in a position to announce what we will be doing in each of those regards to the House.

Photo of Gerry McHugh Gerry McHugh Sinn Féin 3:30, 26 March 2001

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Given that up to one third of our long-term unemployed have qualifications at national vocational qualification (NVQ) level or higher and yet remain unemployed, can something be done to change that deficit?

Photo of Sean Farren Sean Farren Social Democratic and Labour Party

All the measures with respect to New Deal programmes, both those for 18- to 24-year-olds and the introduction of modifications, made in the light of local consultation, to New Deal for 25-plus, are intended to ensure that the numbers will be reduced even further. It is important that Members appreciate that significant reductions have taken place in the level of unemployment over recent years.

Much of the reduction coincides with the introduction of the New Deal programmes and most people would agree that they are responsible for it. New Deal has made a considerable contribution to the reduction and we are monitoring the situation very closely indeed. The task force that I referred to earlier will be taking forward many of the concerns that underlie the Member’s question.