AQW 53815/11-16

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 03/02/2016
Answered On Date: 11/02/2016
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning how he is encouraging school-leavers to choose to study at Northern Ireland universities.

Answer:

‘Graduating to Success’, Northern Ireland’s higher education strategy, commits my Department to ensuring that prospective learners have access to relevant, high quality information in order to allow them to make informed decisions regarding their participation in higher education.

To meet this commitment my officials worked with higher education institutions to review and improve the available information regarding higher education in general and the sector in Northern Ireland in particular. This review included information on courses, financial support, the cost of living, learner satisfaction, and other relevant information. This information can be accessed through the NI Direct website as well as individual institution websites.

As well as this, my Department continues to work with the other UK higher education funding bodies to ensure that high quality information regarding higher education is available from a range of sources including the National Student Survey, Unistats and the Destination of Leavers in Higher Education Survey.

Taken together, the information published about studying at Northern Ireland universities encourages school-leavers, with the support of careers advisers and others, to make the choice that is right for them in terms of their personal and professional development goals.