Write a commentDr Stephen Farry, Employment and Learning Minister was in attendance at the Annual Senior Prize Giving night in St Colman’s College, Newry on Monday night.
The event celebrated the achievements of St Colman’s College’s 2015 school leavers who have concluded their second level education and for the most part commenced their third level studies.
Minister Farry said: "I would like to congratulate all of you on your success and the individual awards that you have achieved to date.
"As the employers and employees of tomorrow, our main asset is you, our young people, and it is through your talents and skills that we will transform our economy, increase employment, improve social mobility and raise productivity. I cannot stress enough the important contribution that you can make to our local economy.
"It is therefore vitally important that you are appropriately supported to develop the skills and confidence to realise your full potential, and follow a career path that will lead to sustained and rewarding employment.
"In this fast changing modern economy it is important that you have access to accurate and up to date labour market information. I have recently launched the Northern Ireland Skills Barometer, which I consider an important tool to support both careers education and guidance. This innovative tool will provide a clear indication of the growth areas in our economy and will help to identify current and future skills needs.
"In addition to the more traditional route to higher education, there are now an increasing number of options and routes to gaining a third level qualification. The new apprenticeship system, which includes higher level apprenticeships, is a high-quality parallel route to the traditional academic pathway. Higher level apprenticeships are an excellent way to gain the skills needed by employers through studying for higher level qualifications whilst earning.
"My Department’s Careers Service plays an important role in providing impartial careers advice, ensuring you are aware of the opportunities available to help secure and progress in rewarding employment. Given the importance of careers information and guidance in the modern economy, in addition to face to face careers guidance services, the Careers Service has recently launched a new webchat service."
Careers Service clients can now access careers services directly from their laptop, PC or mobile device without the need to travel to a local Careers office. The ‘Careers Webchat’ service is available Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 4.30pm. To chat with an adviser go to nidirectexternal link and click on the "Chat online with a Careers Adviser" button.
The Minister concluded: "I believe that ‘every job matters’ and that people should be provided with the skills to succeed on their chosen careers path."
