AQW 49727/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 26/06/2026
Answered On Date: 07/07/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy whether she has made any assessment of (i) the role for the Northern Regional College Coleraine campus within Northern Ireland’s higher education system, over the next ten years; and (ii) whether current student number allocations support that role.

Answer:

Along with the other Further Education (FE) colleges, Northern Regional College (NRC), including its Coleraine campus, plays an important and complementary role within the North’s Higher Education (HE) system. The sector will continue to focus on providing flexible, locally accessible HE pathways, particularly for learners who may not access traditional university routes; supporting widening participation, by enabling learners to access higher education closer to home, helping to reduce barriers associated with travel, cost and caring responsibilities; and responding to regional skills needs, including through collaboration with HE institutions and industry.

The new FE Fit for the Future programme aims to ensure colleges are properly equipped to deliver for learners and for employers over the next decade and beyond. It will review provision at all levels in FE colleges, including HE provision, to ensure alignment with regional and sub-regional skills needs, learner demand and economic priorities.

The Department keeps the allocation of Maximum Student Numbers (MaSN) for HE within FE colleges under continual review. Allocations are informed by a range of factors, including historic recruitment performance, forecast demand from colleges, available budget and value for money.