Northern Ireland Skills Council
The Northern Ireland Skills Council (NISC) is an advisory body which provides strategic advice on issues pertaining to the development and implementation of skills policy. The Council primarily focuses on the Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland - ‘Skills for a 10x Economy’ - but also considers the broader context of the underpinning importance of skills in meeting the objectives of the economic vision for Northern Ireland "10x Economy: Northern Ireland’s Decade of Innovation".
Notice board
Skills Council meetings scheduled for:
February 2025 – date and venue to be confirmed.
Minutes of previous meetings are available: Northern Ireland Skills Council minutes
Chair and members
The NISC has been designed to involve representatives from the main areas of interest: industry (both employers and employees), academia, local and central government, and the third sector. The membership includes a mix of publicly appointed members and ex-officio members. The publicly appointed members consist of:
- one chair
- five members from a business background
- one member from a trade union background
- one member from the community/voluntary sector.
The ex-officio (that is, an appointment by virtue of holding another office) and associated members are nominated by specific organisations.
Chair
The chair (by public appointment) is Kathleen O'Hare.
Members
| Members by public appointment | Member background |
|---|---|
| Caroline van der Feltz | Business |
| Annie Millar | Business |
| Ann Morgan | Business |
| Mary Meehan | Business |
| Dr Frances Weldon | Business |
| Mark Langhammer | Trade union |
Information on the chair and publicly appointed members can be found at:
| Co-opted member | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Lorna McAdoo | Version 1 (Northern Ireland) |
| Ex-officio | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Adrian McCreesh | Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (SOLACE) |
| Leo Murphy | Tertiary Education Senior Leaders Group (FE) |
| Prof Paul Bartholomew | Tertiary Education Senior Leaders Group (HE) |
| Liam Devine | NICVA |
| Clare Caulfield | NIC Irish Congress of Trade Unions |
| Ben Friel | NUS-USI |
| Gerry Campbell | Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment |
| Gareth Hetherington | Ulster University Economic Policy Centre (UUEPC) |
| Gordon Parkes | NI Business Alliance |
| Marek Zemanik | CIPD |
| Advisory members | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Niall Casey | Invest NI |
| Moira Doherty | Department for the Economy |
| Linsey Farrell | Department of Education |
| Deirdre Ward | Department for Communities |
Sub-committee to the Skills Council
- Skills Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (SEDI) – Chair, Caroline van der Feltz
- Skills Supply Task and Finish Group - Chair, Gerry Campbell
- Green Energy Skills Industry Reference Group - Chair, Gordon Parkes
- Education and Skills Group - Chair, Mark Langhammer.