AQO 3004/08

Mrs Naomi Long
Alliance Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 08/04/2008
Answered On Date: 21/04/2008
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning what action he is taking to ensure that skills are matched with employment opportunities provided by the Titanic Quarter.

Answer:

My Department continues to be in discussion with Harcourt Construction, the Titanic Quarter developer, individual companies based in the Titanic Quarter and Invest NI regarding their current and future skills needs to ensure that we are in a position to assist employers recruit people with the specific skills they require.

The Department encourages those companies choosing to use our recruitment services to actively consider Employment Service clients who may be long-term unemployed and/or are deemed economically inactive.

In addition to this, the Department's Bridge to Employment programme continues to work with employers to offer bespoke pre-employment training to enable unemployed people to avail of the employment opportunities offered by that company. For example, the Department funded the training of eight people who were subsequently offered employment with Citi, which is located in the Titanic Quarter. The recruitment for a second cohort of 30 people for Citi will commence in late April 2008.

It is anticipated that Belfast Metropolitan College, one of the largest education providers in the Belfast region, will move to the Titanic Quarter in 2010.