1. Foreword

Foreword

The Further Education sector is the main provider of professional and technical education and training in Northern Ireland and has a significant role to play in raising the skill levels in the region. Colleges are key players in the draft Industrial Strategy, ‘Economy 2030’ and the Programme for Government. Further Education is vital to Northern Ireland economic growth and productivity. Embedding a digital first culture and investing in digital skills will be critical in responding to the Skills Strategy and supporting the Northern Ireland course to post COVID-19 recovery.

Southern Regional College (SRC) is well placed to provide learners, employers and the local community with a world-class facility to satisfy all their educational needs and to realise its aim in establishing a reputation for outstanding quality in teaching, training and business support, not just within Northern Ireland but nationally and internationally.

The long-term vision of the College is based on the desire to provide relevant and meaningful vocational learning opportunities, delivered through quality and innovative teaching, which is informed by effective quality improvement planning. This vision complements the strategic aim for the sector as laid down in ‘Further Education Means Business’ and is further amplified through the College’s mission statement, aiming to transform lives through meaningful and enjoyable learning experiences.

This strategy has been authored in the context of global pandemic (COVID-19) which has impacted on the delivery and the development of many curriculum initiatives. The Youth Training & Apprenticeship Strategy and the reform of vocational qualifications has not progressed at the pace first envisaged in the previous Curriculum Strategy. The new skills strategy also highlights the important role that Colleges will play in addressing skills shortages at mid-tier levels (Level 3-5) and supporting lifelong learning for those in employment, those seeking employment and those facing barriers to education and training.

It is in the context of these key strategic developments that this Curriculum Strategy has been updated, and will continue to be reviewed annually to reflect the changing landscape during the ongoing challenges faced by the pandemic and post pandemic. FE Colleges will be instrumental in economic recovery and SRC will continue to play its role alongside the other regional colleges in supporting the transformational programme led by DfE.