SINN Féin MLA Caoimhe Archibald has said cuts to skills and training provision should not be considered as part of departmental cuts within the Department for the Economy.The Party’s Further and higher Education spokesperson said:
“The recently published budgetary outlook paper for the Department of the Economy included a scenario with the potential cessation of the provision of Entry Level and Level 1 qualifications through Further Education colleges and Training for Success, along with the potential cessation of support for Postgraduate Studentships.
“Myself and party colleague Conor Murphy MLA met with department officials including the department’s Permanent Secretary to discuss the budgetary outlook. We highlighted that these proposals are entirely contrary to the skills agenda and developing a skilled workforce for the future success of our economy.
“The provision of Entry Level and Level 1 qualifications is important in offering a pathway to further education and training opportunities including those from disadvantaged backgrounds who have been failed by the traditional education system.
“Postgraduate studentships offer vital training and experience to graduates. It is incredibly shortsighted to impose cuts on this programme.
“We impressed upon the officials our objection to these proposals and hope they won’t be considered going forward,” added the East Derry MLA.
