THE future economic prosperity of the North West depends on upskilling its workforce, according to a Derry businessman.
Gavin Killeen, managing director of Nuprint and chair of the One Plan Skills Directorate and the North West Workforce Development Forum, was speaking during a recent Ministerial visit to the city.
In his chairman’s role he is encouraging businesses to assess the training needs of their workforces and to offer opportunities for up-skilling where possible.
He said: “The future prosperity of this region hinges on the success of local business. To achieve this success we must all play a part in nurturing and developing our young people and offering training for employment.”
Dr Stephen Farry, Minister for Employment and Learning, also highlighted the importance of skills to the city’s future economic well-being during his visit. He said: “Improved skill levels benefit individual employees, their employers and the economy as a whole. My Department invests over £60m per year on skills related matters in the Derry City Council area. This includes support for Magee and NWRC, the Careers Service, Steps to Work and other employment and skills initiatives.
“Skills play a vital part in the future economic well-being of this city. I know this view is strongly endorsed in the City’s One Plan for regeneration which aims to transform the city by fundamentally changing the way it does business, and by being creative in how organisations and individuals resource and manage themselves.”
While in the city, the minister toured local business Nuprint’s Springtown facility where he met some of its staff who have secured employment and improved their skill as a result of taking part in DEL’s Steps to Work programme.
Steps to Work is the Department for Employment and Learning’s main adult return to work programme.
The programme offers work experience, training and employment opportunity to those out of work. Further information for the unemployed is available on www.nidirect.gov.uk/stepstowork and for employers on www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/employment-skills.