Barr encourages skill development

Councillor Barr, who is also the South West Down UUP secretary, said it was vital that if Northern Ireland was to rebuild its economy during the peace process and ‘ride out’ the twin storms of the so-called credit crunch and current recession, that the workforce was as qualified as possible in the essential skills of literacy and numeracy.

“I fully commend the work being done by local Colleges to address the issue of having our existing and potential workforces fully equipped with these basic essential skills.

“While there should no longer be a shame or stigma attached to any person’s lack of skills in literacy and numeracy, it is still alarming to see the number of young people in Northern Ireland who are leaving full-time education without the proper qualifications in these two basic skills areas.

“I would wholeheartedly encourage these young people, and indeed, adults of any age, who still require qualifications in these essential skills to avail themselves of the excellent opportunities – especially in the FE sector – to get these vital pieces of paper.