Skip to main content
Department for the Economy Department for the Economy An Roinn Geilleagair

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Topics
  • Publications
  • Consultations
  • Contact

Translation help

Translate this page

Select a language

  • Arabic — عربي
  • Chinese (Simplified) — 中文简体
  • Chinese (Traditional) — 中文繁體
  • Dutch — Nederlands
  • Filipino — Filipino
  • French — Français
  • German — Deutsch
  • Hungarian — Magyar
  • Irish — Gaeilge
  • Italian — Italiano
  • Latvian — Latviešu
  • Lithuanian — Lietuvių kalba
  • Polish — Polski
  • Portuguese — Português
  • Romanian — Română
  • Russian — Русский
  • Slovak — Slovenčina
  • Spanish — Español
  • Ukrainian — Українська
  • Dodds announces new Assured Skills Academy with PwC and Belfast Met

    Date published: 3 June 2021

    Economy Minister Diane Dodds today announced a new Assured Skills Academy with PwC offering 20 high quality training places for people with degrees.

    Economy Minister Diane Dodds pictured with Ian McConnell of PwC at PwC’s new Merchant Square building in Belfast.
    Economy Minister Diane Dodds pictured with Ian McConnell of PwC at PwC’s new Merchant Square building in Belfast.

    Focussing on Future Business Skills, the Assured Skills Academy will see participants receive eight weeks of industry-relevant pre-employment training at Belfast Met.

    Participants who complete the training will gain industry-recognised qualifications and are guaranteed a job interview for a role at PwC in Belfast.

    Highlighting the opportunity, the Minister said:
    “I am pleased to announce another Assured Skills Academy with PwC and Belfast Met. This is an excellent opportunity for people with degrees seeking to start or change career in the professional services sector.

    “Developing the local skills base is a key element of the economic recovery. Assured Skills Academies have a track record of success in upskilling people and helping them secure employment, and we intend to open more Academies for applications in the coming months.”

    The Minister added:
    “Successful applicants to the Academy will receive £155 per week training allowance and will be strongly positioned to compete for a job upon completion. I urge anyone who is eligible and interested to apply for this exciting opportunity.”

    Ian McConnell, PwC partner responsible for Operate, said:
    “What’s really exciting about this Academy is that it’s focused on skills that will support growth across Northern Ireland, which could lead to very attractive career prospects for our students.

    “We’re determined to support people to develop world-class careers on their doorstep. We recognise that as the world of work continues to change, upskilling and retraining is critical. By ensuring that a background in technology isn’t necessary to gain a place on this programme, we’re helping to create opportunities for a much broader group of people.”

    The Future Business Skills Academy will focus on a range of areas including Financial Crime, Compliance Testing, Customer Management, PMO Services and Business Operations.

    The Academy will last eight weeks and be delivered primarily virtually, although applicants should be prepared to attend some classes in a Belfast Met campus.

    Louise Warde Hunter, Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Met, said:
    “I am delighted that Belfast Met is continuing to deliver this successful series of Academies. The Future Business Skills Academies have resulted in programme participants gaining new life-changing skills and progressing into good jobs and careers as a result.

    “It is commendable that PwC is offering highly skilled roles during these challenging times, and we look forward to continuing to deliver this DfE programme in partnership with them.”

    Applications for the PwC Future Business Skills Assured Skills Academy are open until noon on 23 June. Video interviews will be held 30 June-2 July and training will commence for successful applicants on 19 July.

    No experience is required. Applicants must hold a 2:2 degree or better in any discipline.

    More information and details on how to apply can be found on nidirect.

    Notes to editors:

    1. Assured Skills is a pre-employment training programme run by the Department for the Economy. More information on Assured Skills is available on the DfE website.
    2. The Department may take photographs and videos at announcements and events to publicise its work. Photographs, interviews, videos or other recordings may be issued to media organisations for publicity purposes or used in promotional material, including in publications, newspapers, magazines, other print media, on television, radio and electronic media (including social media and the internet). Photographs and videos will also be stored on the Department’s internal records management system. The Department will keep the photographs and recordings for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they have been obtained. The Department’s Privacy Policy is available on our website.
    3. Follow us on Twitter @Economy_NI   
    4. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk .
    5. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

    Latest news

    • Archibald presses governments on north’s unique circumstances following tariff threats

      18 January 2026

    • Northern Ireland Composite Economic Index Quarter 3 2025

      15 January 2026

    • Minister welcomes latest Economic Output figures for the north

      15 January 2026

    • Executive agrees next steps to close the Non Domestic RHI scheme

      15 January 2026

    More news …
    Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on X (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

    Department footer links

    • Crown copyright
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    • Accessibility
    • The Northern Ireland Executive
    • The Executive Office
    • Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
    • Department for Communities
    • Department for Education
    • Department for the Economy
    • Department of Finance
    • Department for Infrastructure
    • Department for Health
    • Department of Justice
    • nidirect.gov.uk — the official government website for Northern Ireland citizens