Minister's speech - NI Chamber Future Workforce Summit - 16 October 2025

Note: this publication may not reflect verbatim delivery by Minister Archibald

Good morning, everyone.

Introduction

As many of you will know, before the Executive was restored, I and my predecessor Conor Murphy used the time to prepare for the Economy Department.

As part of those preparations we consulted extensively with Suzanne and with the wider business, academic, and trade union community, many of whom are here today.

It was clear from those engagements that skills was the number one issue for businesses.

That feedback is backed up by empirical evidence from sources such as the Skills Baromoter.

So skills have been a focus of our work in the last 18 months.

Achievements

In that time we have focussed skills support at our seven high-potential sectors; including cyber and software, advanced manufacturing, and financial services.

We have developed a plan to expand the Magee campus to 10,000 students, and are making good progress against that plan.

You’ll soon be hearing from Gordon Parkes who was pivotal in developing our Green Skills Action Plan.

This aims to ensure we are equipped to deliver decarbonisation, and that we can create Good Jobs for people in the process of the transition to net zero.

We are rolling out a Digital Skills Action Plan, as well as taking account of the impact AI is having on our workforce.

In partnership with the Department of Education, my Department is working to progress a 14-19 Framework, and together we have published a new Careers Action Plan - to join the dots for learners as they transition through education and into employment.

We recently launched an Apprenticeship Action Plan, and are investing in the wider skills ecosystem; both in the infrastructure we need, and the skills programmes which will set us up for the future.

We have established a Skills Fund which supports programmes such as the SME Productivity Booster, Skill Up, and the Apprenticeship Inclusion Challenge Fund.

We are also investing in our colleges and just last week I officially opened Northern Regional College’s new Ballymena Campus - which has seen a 12 per cent increase in enrolments.

Future Plans

Building on this good work, today I’m launching my new, three-year Skills Action Plan.

Through the new action plan, we will develop new courses and curriculum to ensure there is a pathway for new entrants into the childcare important sector.

School leavers with special educational needs often face a cliff edge in support. So, we will improve provision for these young people.

And we will fully embed a new youth training system called Traineeships that deliver industry and sector skills at level 2.

My Department has begun work on a Further Education Reform Programme that will see us collaborating with the colleges to sharpen their contribution to the skills ecosystem.

Our higher education sector is world renowned, providing highly-skilled graduates to support the growth of innovative and competitive businesses.

But like all public services they are under financial pressure.

My new Skills Action Plan therefore commits to a Review of Higher Education Funding.

It also commits to facilitating a collaborative network pilot with local companies, to develop areas of learning and research excellence at the Magee Campus.

As well as a review of the Skills Council, we will implement the skills outworkings of the Lyons Review of Invest NI, which includes consideration of an overarching policy and framework on skills development.

We will also extend eligibility for our post-graduate research support for fully-funded PhD studentships, to include residents from the south of Ireland.

We will commission research on Irish-Medium accreditation and learner support systems to identify barriers and potential solutions.

And we will seek to collaborate on an all-island basis to reduce barriers to student mobility, as well as exploring Shared Island Funding for collaborative work in apprenticeships.

So, the Skills Action Plan sets out an ambitious programme of work for the next three years.

NI Chamber Asks

Of course, the plan will be adaptable to new circumstances and new ideas.

So let me finish by responding to Suzanne’s three asks.

I am very open to a Workforce Development Agency.

Given that my time left in office is short, this type of structural change is something that will be picked up in the next mandate.

In terms of The All-Island Mobility Taskforce, on such a small island it is absolutely critical that people can work as seamlessly as possible right across Ireland.

However, as highlighted in a recent study commissioned by the Shared Island Working Group, there are a range of difficulties facing people who live on one side of the border but want to work on the other side.

Complications in relation to payroll and taxation have a knock-on effect on issues such as social security entitlements, pensions, and mortgage applications.

These difficulties have been exacerbated by the rise of remote working, as more people are employed in one jurisdiction but work from their home in the other.

These frictions have a particularly strong impact on border areas.

My Department is working with the Irish Government on these issues, and the idea of a more formal structure to that is something that we will definitely consider.

Finally, in terms of my Good Jobs agenda I’m very appreciative of the direct and constructive role that the Chamber has played.

I’m very happy to assure you that the dialogue with the business community and with trade unions, will continue throughout this process.

So, thank you again to the NI Chamber for bringing us together today, and for the opportunity to speak to you on my new plan.

And also to Kathleen, and everyone at the Skills Council for their support in its development.

I hope today is a real success and provides an opportunity to discuss how we work together on this important issue.

Thank you.