AQW 16354/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 08/10/2024
Answered On Date: 15/10/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail (i) the membership of the Careers Advisory Forum; and (ii) the number of meetings the group has held in the last 12 months.

Answer:

The Careers Advisory Forum (CAF) last met in November 2022. Following the resignation of the Chair, and in the absence of an Executive at Stormont, it was agreed that meetings should be paused, and that the forum’s future would be a matter for new Ministers.

I have met with the Education Minister to discuss careers provision, including how we can enhance our strategic and operational partnerships. Officials in both Departments are currently considering the potential role of CAF to enable system level engagement as part of a reformed careers ecosystem.

The full CAF membership can be found on the Department’s website: https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/economy/Careers-Advisory-Forum-members.pdf

At the time of its last meeting CAF members represented the following groups:

CCEA

Education Authority

ETI

Assumption Grammar School, Ballynahinch

SERC

Ulster University

CBI

NI Chambers of Commerce and Industry

Federation of Small Business

Business in the Community

NI Committee Irish Congress of Trade Unions (NIC-ICTU)

Parenting NI

Disability Action

Young Enterprise NI

NICVA

SOLACE

While the CAF has been on hold, officials have been engaging stakeholders on early reform projects. For example, the Careers Portal Project hosted a workshop event in June 2024 which brought together over 30 key stakeholders from the careers ecosystem and included many CAF representatives.