Stakeholder

Northern Ireland’s Further Education colleges, providing higher education, are participating in a masterclass on how to develop effective and sustainable partnerships with employers during a week-long series of seminars launched in Belfast today by fdf (Foundation Degree Forward).

Vice Principals, Deans, Heads of School and Business Development Managers will be amongst the regional college staff who will experience best practice methods for all aspects of employer engagement, from curriculum development and assessment through to longer-term relationship management.

Leading the seminars is fdf national consultant Clare Stoney, whose extensive research into the subject has lead to the development of an Employer Engagement Toolkit for education providers. The first of the series of events took place at Belfast Metropolitan College’s Millfield campus on Wednesday and will be rolled out to South West College, Northern Regional College, Southern Regional College and North West Regional College over the next week.

Thérèse Rogan, NI Regional Director at fdf (Foundation Degree Forward), said:

“This series of seminars has been organized by fdf to help our Further Education regional colleges meet and overcome the employer engagement challenge. Developing effective partnerships with employers should be a core aim and critical success factor for all providers of Further Education.

“Having engaged with over 1,000 employers, 100 colleges and 30 universities, Claire Stoney has a wealth of knowledge and experience on employer engagement and partnerships, so we are delighted to have her with us to lead the seminars. The Employer Engagement Toolkit provides an ideal framework which our colleges can draw from and adapt for their particular needs and circumstances.

“By the end of each seminar participants will have undertaken a critical self-assessment of current developments in relation to employer engagement. They will have gained a significant insight into how to develop a co-ordinated, strategic approach to employer engagement that is consistent and links business solutions and curriculum development with the further development of foundation degrees.

“Foundation Degree Forward works closely with the business community to ensure that the Foundation degrees developed in colleges are industry-led and meet the needs of local employers. The potential impact of these seminars should not be under estimated. They are funded by the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) and support the department’s skills strategy to expand Foundation degrees in Northern Ireland.”

The workshops move on to South West College’s Omagh campus on Friday, to the Antrim campus of Northern Regional College next Monday and Southern Regional College’s Newry facility next Tuesday, before the final seminar at the Strand Road campus of North West Regional campus next Wednesday.

Speaking after the Belfast event, Michelle McCaughley, Head of Workforce and Economic Development at Belfast Metropolitan College, said:

“Belfast Metropolitan College recognizes the need to continually review our thinking and explore new possibilities regarding our approach to employer engagement and this workshop was the ideal opportunity for us to do that. We would like to pay tribute to fdf for organizing the event and to Claire for her excellent insights on the subject.

“How colleges manage employer engagement and the effectiveness of the partnerships we form with the business community are key factors in the quality of the service we provide for our students. Such partnerships are mutually beneficial as they provide employers with access to the pool of student talent, while colleges can keep up-to-date with key industry developments and ensure the curriculum we are providing meets the needs of employers.”