College forges links with local industry to fight "brain drain"

Published 29 Jan 2009 12:00 0 Comments

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We are experiencing a 'brain drain' each year as 2,000 young people leave Fermanagh and Tyrone to go to university in England, Scotland or Wales. Thousands more leave the local area each year to study in Belfast or Coleraine.

This trend has concerned officials at the South West (SW) College, who aim to attract young people to study closer to home. They plan to tackle the issue by creating more Higher Education Courses and working with local industry to identify 'niche areas' and create a skills base that reflects the economy.

'This is a huge brain drain on the local economy,' claimed Malachy McAleer, Head of Curriculum and Business Development at the SW College. 'That"s £20 million lost to the local economy by paying £10,000 a year to each of those students on fees and living costs.'

Mr. McAleer and Victor Refausse, Director of the SW College, spoke to The Impartial Reporter about the current activity of the SW College, how they are developing the curriculum and the ongoing development of a Centre for Rural Innovation based in Enniskillen, which will house top-of-the range equipment specialising in areas such as; rapid prototyping, rural sustainability, renewable energy and media.

Mr. Refausse said: 'What we are trying to do now is try and get more places for full-time Higher Education (HE) so that more young people in Tyrone and Fermanagh can actually start off university education in College and then go on wherever they want to go.'

He added: 'Presently the SW College is allocated 186 full-time HE places out of 3,000. That is historical in the sense that before the merger took place, the only College in the West that could do full-time HE was Fermanagh College. We have 800 part-time students which shows that the demand is there.

'We now know that 2,000 people leave Tyrone and Fermanagh annually to go to University in England, Scotland and Wales; that"s not including the students who go to Belfast or Coleraine. If you are thinking about the local economy; can"t some of those people stay here instead of going away?'

The College are currently awaiting the results of a needs analysis consultation which is being carried out by KPMG consultants into the needs of local young people who are likely to go to university. This report is due at the end of February.

In the meantime, development of the services offered at SW College continues. Mr. Refausse explained that there is a move away from the idea that once you do your GCSEs you move to your local 'tech'. Rather, the SW College has formed a Workforce Development Forum (WDF); a group of people who represent all areas of industry. They will identify niche areas which each campus should focus on.

'We want industry to advise us on what specific areas they feel we should focus on, not just have people studying for the sake of getting a qualification. He said that Hospitality and Tourism is 'high on the agenda' for the Enniskillen campus.

'The classification Hospitality and Tourism is a very broad brush. The WDF can suggest that we need to focus on management, customer service or cuisine. It"s all about getting down to that detail and then providing the training for whatever the industry requires locally.'

Mr. Refausse continued: 'We are a regional College (Enniskillen, Omagh and Dungannon colleges became the SW College in August 2007) but we have to take cognisance of the needs of the local areas.'

Further development that is on-going in Fermanagh is the £9.5 million Skills Centre, which is under construction at the Killyhevlin Industrial estate.

'That is being built by Tracey Brothers and I am delighted that it is contributing to the local construction industry,' Mr. Refausse said. When the Skills Centre is complete, work will begin on refurbishments to the Enniskillen campus building.

SW College students can currently avail of partnerships with local industry or travel to Europe and experience European businesses. Mr. McAleer said there are around 1,000 trainees across the SW College who are all placed with local employers throughout their time of study.

He noted that: 'There are currently a number of Catering students working in hotels and facilities in Iceland, where there is a very high hospitality standard.'

Also, approximately 70 foundation year students at the SW College who are studying a Construction degree, have the opportunity of travelling to America to work each year. 'Last year 68 students went to America and they worked on the regeneration of New Orleans,' said Mr. McAleer.

'We have links with other Colleges in Europe which we want to expand. It is valuable for students to bring their experience of Europe back home, ' Mr. Refausse added.

'We are also involved with a bio-energy research project with Austrian and Italian energy agencies, looking at the total energy efficiency across Europe.

'And the bespoke equipment for the new Centre for Rural Innovation was manufactured in Denmark.'

The College is also working with local schools on Vocational Enhancement Programmes, and have witnessed an uptake of 1,400 this year. Students at local secondary schools can liaise with the College and take part in courses such as Interactive Media or Hairdressing, this can be completed to A Level standard if they wish.

Locals who have found themselves in a state of unemployment because of the current economic climate can avail of Essential Skills or Steps to Work Programmes, which are run in the College in conjunction with the local Jobs and Benefits office.

'If people become unemployed and want to re-skill, we will provide that service for them,' said Mr. Refausse. He added that 300 local people have already signed up for the Essential Skills Programme which began last week and teaches core subjects like English, Maths and Science.

Mr. Refausse concluded by outlining the future of the SW College: 'The primary function for all HE institutions according to government papers is supporting the local economy. That"s why we will create a Centre for Rural Innovation which will support industry. Secondly, we want to develop more into our HE courses, looking at niche areas that match the local economy.

'And finally, we want to be able to train or re-train in all skills areas, (engineering, construction hospitality and catering) and expand according to the needs of the students and local economy.'

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 29 Jan 09

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