Skills are the key to shaping a better future and central to the capacity of countries and people to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world. Megatrends such as globalisation, technological advances, and demographic change are reshaping work and society, generating a growing demand for higher levels and new sets of skills. OECD Skills Strategy projects provide a strategic and comprehensive approach to assess countries’ skills challenges and opportunities and help them build more effective skills systems. The OECD works collaboratively with countries to develop policy responses that are tailored to each country’s specific skills needs. The foundation of this approach is the OECD Skills Strategy Framework, which allows for an exploration of what countries can do better to: 1) develop relevant skills over the life course; 2) use skills effectively in work and in society; and 3) strengthen the governance of the skills system. The report, “OECD Skills Strategy Northern Ireland (United Kingdom): Assessment and Recommendations”, identifies opportunities and makes recommendations to reduce skills imbalances, create a culture of lifelong learning, transform workplaces to make better use of skills, and strengthen the governance of skills policies in Northern Ireland.

1. OECD SKILLS STRATEGY
NORTHERN IRELAND
LAUNCH EVENT
Andrew Bell
Head OECD Centre for Skills, OECD
OECD Centre for Skills
https://www.oecd.org/skills/centre-for-skills
21 October 2020, Belfast, Northern Ireland

2. 2
Agenda for this presentation and Q&A
Time Item
14:20-14:45 OECD Presentation by Andrew Bell (Part 1): Introduction, Priority Areas 1 and 2
14:45-15:00 Q&A (Part 1): Priority Areas 1 and 2
15:00-15:15 OECD Presentation by Andrew Bell (Part 2): Priority Areas 3 and 4
15:15-15:30 Q&A (Part 2): Priority 3 and Priority 4

3. 3
WHY DO SKILLS MATTER?

4. Mega trends are changing and increasing the
skills needed for success in work and life
GLOBALISATION
TECHNOLOGICAL
CHANGE
DEMOGRAPHIC
CHANGE
Rapid development of
new technologies
Emergence of new
forms of work
Expansion of sources
of learning, especially
online
More integrated world
economy than ever
Emergence of global
value chains, offshoring
and outsourcing
Increased vulnerability
of some workers
Large expected
decline in working-
age population
Important
reallocations towards
care services
Need to ensure youth
have the right skills

5. Source Labour Force Survey Time Series data; UUEPC projections,
https://www.ulster.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/574204/UUEPC-Economic-Consequences-of-Covid19-Paper-2.pdf
5
More immediately, COVID-19 brings a whole new
range of challenges for skills systems
Unemployment rate Northern Ireland, 2010-2020 (projections)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
%
12%
projected peak

6. COVID-19 is already resulting in decreased overall
demand for skills
Note: Job postings ratio is the total number of new vacancies each week in the Burning Glass Technologies’ online postings database divided by the average weekly
postings in January 19-February 29, 2020.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
Job postings ratio by country
Australia Canada New Zealand United Kingdom Unided States
The Evolution of Job Postings
Job postings ratio by country
UK
6
Level weekly
job positing
Jan-Feb 2020

7. The low-skilled have been particularly hard hit
by falling labour demand
5
Fall in job postings by education level, UK
Job postings in March-July 2020 as a share of postings in January-February
Source: OECD (forthcoming) Measuring the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on job and skills demands - an analysis of job
postings published online”
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
GCSE-
secondary
HNC Bachelor Vocational A-levels Master Doctorate
Drop in
postings
Level weekly
job positing
Jan-Feb 2020

8. 8
The pandemic will accelerate the pace of
automation
Source: Nedelkoska and Quintini (2018)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Norway
NewZealand
Finland
Sweden
Australia
England(UK)
UnitedStates
Denmark
Netherlands
NorthernIreland…
Canada
Flanders(Belgium)
Ireland
Estonia
Korea
Israel
Austria
CzechRepublic
OECD
France
Poland
Italy
Hungary
Spain
Chile
Slovenia
Germany
Japan
Greece
Turkey
Mexico
Lithuania
SlovakRepublic
% High likelihood of automation (>70%) Significant likelihood of automation (50-70%)
Jobs at risk of Automation
Share of jobs at HIGH RISK (>70%) of automation and at SIGNIFICANT RISK (50-70%)
29%
12%

9. -20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
Low skill Middle skill High skill
And hasten job polarisation
Job polarisation in the past two decades
%-point change share of total employment, 1995-2015
Source: OECD(2017), Employment Outlook 2017.
9

10. Source: Department for Employment and Learning (2014), Northern Ireland ESF Programme 2014-2020,
https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/24943/1/NI%20European%20Social%20Fund%20Programme%202014%20-2020.pdf.
Northern Ireland’s reliance on European Social Fund (ESF) budget for different
priority axis, 2014-2020
10
These challenges need to be addressed
in the context of Brexit
0
50
100
150
200
250
Priority Axis 1 Priority Axis 2 Priority Axis 3 Priority Axis 4
Access to employment Social inclusion Skills for Growth Technical asssistance
Total budget in GBP millions
ESF National contribution

11. 11
INTRODUCING THE OECD SKILLS
STRATEGY

12. 12
The 2019 OECD Skills Strategy Framework
12

13. Mexico
Peru
Korea
Flanders (BE)
Italy
KazakhstanNetherlands
Norway
Latvia
Poland
Slovak Republic
Spain
Portugal Austria
Slovenia
Northern
Ireland (UK)
Applied in 17 diverse countries so far
Lithuania
13

14. 14
THE OECD SKILLS STRATEGY IN
NORTHERN IRELAND

15. Employing a whole-of-government approach
Directorate for
Education and Skills
Economics Department
Directorate for
Employment, Labour
and Social Affairs
Directorate for Science,
Technology and
Innovation
Centre for Tax Policy
and Administration
Local Employment,
Skills and Social
Inclusion
OECD Northern Ireland
Department of
Education
Department for the
Economy
Department of Finance
Department for
Communities
OECD Centre for Skills
Department Agriculture,
Environment and Rural
Affair
And more…
15

16. 16
Building on input from over 200 stakeholders in
workshops, group discussions, and bilateral meetings
Workshops in Belfast and regional visit to Derry/Londonderry and Dungannon

17. The process – moving from four priority areas to
final recommendations
• Set 4 priority
areas
Skills Strategy
Seminar
• Select
opportunities (3-4
per priority area)
Assessment
mission
• Refine draft
recommendations (2-4
per opportunity)
Recommendations
mission
• Present final
recommendations, (incl.
specific actions)
Report
17

18. Northern
Ireland(UK)AustraliaCanada
England
(UK)FinlandFrance
GermanyIreland
New
ZealandSweden
UnitedStates
How skilled are youth?
Are skills of youth improving?
Are skills of youth being developed inclusively?
How many young adults attain tertiary education?
How skilled are young tertiary educated adults?
How inclusive is tertiary education?
How strong are foundational skills of adults?
Do adults have a broad set of skills? x
Is there a strong culture of adult education?
Are skills of adults being developed inclusively?
How well are skills activated in the labour market?
How inclusive is the labour market?
Do workplaces make intensive use of skills?
Do people use their skills intensively in daily life?
Is the use of skills at work improving?
Are firms designing workplaces to use skills effectively?
Developing
relevant
skills
Using skills
effectively
1 Top 20%
2 Top 20-40%
3 Around the average
4 Bottom 20-40%
5 Bottom 20%
Dashboard indicators across
pillars of the Skills Strategy
Priority areas
We selected four priority areas working closely with
the project team
2. Creating a culture of
lifelong learning
1. Reducing skills
imbalances
3. Transforming workplaces to
better use skills
0. Key insights
COVID-19, demographic change,
digitalisation, productivity growth,
Brexit, policies and reforms
4. Strengthening the governance of skills policies

19. The selected opportunities for the priority areas
19
2. Creating a
culture of lifelong
learning
1. Reducing skills
imbalances
3. Transforming
workplaces to
better use skills
4. Strengthening
the governance of
skills policies
Career guidance
Responsiveness
and flexibility of
tertiary and VET
Labour mobility
Economic
inactivity
A culture of
lifelong learning
early in life
Adults’
motivation to
learn
Barriers to adult
learning
Management
and leadership
Engaging and
empowering
workplaces
Business support
structures
Funding
arrangements
and a strategy
Whole-of-
government
approach
Employer
engagement

20. The final report – 65 recommendations
4.15. Create an infrastructure of regional skills
hubs at district councils that increase
information exchange and co ordination
between employers, education and training
providers and (local) government.3.9. Make quality marks (e.g. Investors in
People [IIP]) a condition for medium- and
larger sized businesses to benefit from
business support programmes.
3.1. Develop a new strategy for management
and leadership capabilities to raise
awareness of the challenge, provide a co
ordinated approach and set out a direction
for action.
2.6. Publish a single, comprehensive strategy
setting out a holistic vision for adult learning
across different cohorts of learners
1.7. Introduce funding model reforms to
ensure a proportion of grant funding is
conditional on graduate employment
outcomes
1.3. Review the effectiveness of recently
introduced career guidance tools with a view
to their further improvement.
See final report for the full list:3.14. Launch an overarching new initiative for
micro and small business support, which
centralises and co ordinates all support
programmes for growth, innovation, and
management and leadership1.9. Undertake a mapping exercise of current
service provision for the economically
inactive, to improve efficiency and
effectiveness, and align interventions with
skills needs.
4.5. Increase co ordination in skills policy
(e.g. to implement the proposed skills
strategy) by introducing a central oversight
body with representatives from all relevant
departments and arms-length bodies.
4.10. Improve governance structures by
assessing potential mergers and making
responsibilities of employer engagement
bodies clear.
2.13. Establish a ring-fenced skills fund to
subsidise the provision of training
opportunities and apprenticeships.
2.1. Revise the compulsory curriculum in the
light of megatrends to focus on the
development of digital and data literacy
skills.

21. 21
1-REDUCING SKILLS IMBALANCES

22. 22
COVID-19 is deepening existing imbalances
0
5
10
15
20
25
2011 2013 2015 2017 0 20 40 60
Sales and customer services staff
Elementary staff
Administrative/clerical staff
Unclassified staff
Managers
Associate professionals
Caring, leisure and other
services staff
Professionals
Machine operatives
Skilled trades occupations
%
Northern Ireland (UK) United Kingdom
B. Density of SSVs by
occupation
Source: UK Government (2017[7]), Employer Skills Survey 2017: UK Findings,
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-skills-survey-2017-uk-report.
A. Incidence of Skills Shortage
vacancies (SSVs)

23. Strengthening the
responsiveness
and flexibility of
the tertiary
education and VET
systems
Reducing
economic
inactivity to
minimise skills
shortages
Improving labour
mobility to meet
skills demand
Improving
individual career
choice through the
provision of
enhanced career
guidance
23
Diverse policy areas should be considered when
addressing skills imbalances

24. 24
Career guidance & education could be better coordinated
and targeted to reduce mismatches in the labour market
Source: PIAAC 2012, 2015
Over-qualification and under-qualification across the OECD, 2012/15/18
0
10
20
30
40
50
SlovakRepublic
Slovenia
Turkey
Poland
Denmark
CzechRepublic
Flanders
Finland
Spain
Korea
UnitedStates
Netherlands
Chile
Greece
Germany
OECDaverage
Norway
Austria
Italy
N.Ireland(UK)
Estonia
Japan
Sweden
Canada
Australia
England(UK)
Ireland
France
NewZealand
%
Over-qualified Under-qualified
14%
22%

25. 25
Career guidance & education could be better coordinated
and targeted to reduce mismatches in the labour market
Source: PIAAC 2012, 2015
Over-qualification and under-qualification across the OECD, 2012/15/18
0
10
20
30
40
50
SlovakRepublic
Slovenia
Turkey
Poland
Denmark
CzechRepublic
Flanders
Finland
Spain
Korea
UnitedStates
Netherlands
Chile
Greece
Germany
OECDaverage
Norway
Austria
Italy
N.Ireland(UK)
Estonia
Japan
Sweden
Canada
Australia
England(UK)
Ireland
France
NewZealand
%
Over-qualified Under-qualified
14%
22%
Complement recent strategic
reforms to career guidance
provision across all providers, by
developing clear, common,
transparent and accountable
quality standards
(Recommendation 1.1)

26. 26
Education/Training provision could be better aligned with
labour market needs in response to projected imbalances
Source: NI Skills Barometer (UUEPC, 2019)
Average annual supply gap by qualification level in
Northern Ireland (UK), 2018-2028
-2500 -2000 -1500 -1000 -500 0 500 1000
Level 6+
Level 4-5
Level 3
Level 2
Less than NQF level 2
Employee gap
OversupplyUndersupply

27. 27
Education/Training provision could be better aligned with
labour market needs in response to projected imbalances
Source: NI Skills Barometer (UUEPC, 2019)
Average annual supply gap by qualification level in
Northern Ireland (UK), 2018-2028
-2500 -2000 -1500 -1000 -500 0 500 1000
Level 6+
Level 4-5
Level 3
Level 2
Less than NQF level 2
Employee gap
OversupplyUndersupply
Introduce funding model reforms to
ensure a proportion of grant funding
is conditional on graduate
employment outcomes
(Recommendation 1.7)

28. Migration inflow Northern Ireland, 2000-2018
28
Improving labour mobility could help to maximise access to
the skills required in the current and future labour market
Source: Long-Term International Migration Statistics (NISRA, 2019)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
18000
20000

29. Migration inflow Northern Ireland, 2000-2018
29
Improving labour mobility could help to maximise access to
the skills required in the current and future labour market
Source: Long-Term International Migration Statistics (NISRA, 2019)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
18000
20000
Better meet Northern Ireland’s skills
needs through a more regional
approach to attracting skilled
migrants, including through
broadening the remit of the current
cross-departmental migration
strategy group to examine labour
mobility (Recommendation 1.13)

30. 30
2-CREATING A CULTURE OF
LIFELONG LEARNING

31. Participation in formal and non-formal education in Northern Ireland for
specific cohorts, 2012/15/19)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Male Female Less than upper
secondary
Upper secondary Tertiary
Gender Education level
%
Northern Ireland (UK) OECD average Ireland England (UK)
31
Participation in adult learning could be strengthened,
especially for men and lower-educated individuals
Source: OECD (2019[29]), Survey of Adults Skills (PIAAC) (2012, 2015, 2019) (database),
www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/.

32. Training intensity by firm size (average number of training days per
staff member), 2017
32
The provision and intensity of training in businesses could be
enhanced, especially in small businesses
Source: OECD (2019[29]), Survey of Adults Skills (PIAAC) (2012, 2015, 2019) (database), www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/.
Northern Ireland (UK) United Kingdom
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
2 to 4 5 to 24 25 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249
Number of training
days
No. employees per business

33. 33
Low participation seems to be driven by limited
willingness to learn across different groups in society
Individuals who did not want to participate (more) in adult learning
across different demographic groups, 2012/15
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Female Male 25-44 45 and above Lower than tertiary At least tertiary
Total Gender Age Education Level
%
Northern Ireland (UK) OECD average Ireland England (UK)
Source: OECD (2019[28]), Survey of Adults Skills (PIAAC) (2012, 2015, 2019) (database),
www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/.

34. 34
Low participation seems to be driven by limited
willingness to learn across different groups in society
Individuals who did not want to participate (more) in adult learning
across different demographic groups, 2012/15
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Female Male 25-44 45 and above Lower than tertiary At least tertiary
Total Gender Age Education Level
%
Northern Ireland (UK) OECD average Ireland England (UK)
Source: OECD (2019[28]), Survey of Adults Skills (PIAAC) (2012, 2015, 2019) (database),
www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/.
Publish a single, comprehensive
strategy setting out a holistic
vision for adult learning across
different cohorts of learners
(Recommendation 2.6)

35. 35
Employers identify financial barriers as the main obstacle to
providing more training
Share of firms who cited lack of funds or cost as an impediment to
providing more training, UK regions, 2017
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70%
Source: UK Government (2017[29]), Employer Skills Survey 2017: UK Findings,
www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-skills-survey-2017-uk-report.

36. 36
Employers identify financial barriers as the main obstacle to
providing more training
Share of firms who cited lack of funds or cost as an impediment to
providing more training, UK regions, 2017
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70%
Source: UK Government (2017[29]), Employer Skills Survey 2017: UK Findings,
www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-skills-survey-2017-uk-report.
Establish a ring-fenced skills
fund to subsidise the provision
of training opportunities and
apprenticeships
(Recommendation 2.13)

37. 37
For adults, being too busy at work, childcare & cost are
key barriers
Obstacles to participating in adult learning in Northern Ireland and
other countries, 2012/15/18
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Did not have the prerequisites
Something unexpected came up that prevented me from
taking education or training
Lack of employer’s support
The course or programme was offered at an inconvenient
time or place
Other
Childcare or family responsibilities
Too expensive
Too busy at work
%
Northern Ireland (UK) OECD average Ireland England (UK)
Source: OECD (2019[29]), Survey of Adults Skills (PIAAC) (2012, 2015, 2019) (database),
www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/.

38. 38
For adults, being too busy at work, childcare & cost are
key barriers
Obstacles to participating in adult learning in Northern Ireland and
other countries, 2012/15/18
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Did not have the prerequisites
Something unexpected came up that prevented me from
taking education or training
Lack of employer’s support
The course or programme was offered at an inconvenient
time or place
Other
Childcare or family responsibilities
Too expensive
Too busy at work
%
Northern Ireland (UK) OECD average Ireland England (UK)
Source: OECD (2019[29]), Survey of Adults Skills (PIAAC) (2012, 2015, 2019) (database),
www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/.
Extend the offering of blended (i.e.
including an online component)
approaches in FE colleges, by
developing a common online
learning platform
(Recommendation 2.16)

39. 21
Questions & Answers #1
Priority areas 1 & 2
15 minutes
Please click the Q&A
button and write your
questions
39

40. 40
3-TRANSFORMING WORKPLACES
TO BETTER USE SKILLS

41. Correlations between skills use and productivity in OECD countries, 2012/15/18
41
Optimally using skills in workplaces could help raise
performance of employees and businesses
AUS
AUT
BEL
CAN
CHL
CZE
DNK
EST
FIN
FRA
DEU
GRC
IRL
ISR
ITA
JPN
KOR
LTU
NLD
NZL
NOR
POL
SVK
SVN
ESP
SWE
TUR
ENG (UK)
NIR (UK)
USA
OECD
R² = 0.2956
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
0.5
0.55
0.6
0.65
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Reading at work,
2012/15
GDP per hour worked, USD (PPP), 2017
Calculations based on OECD (2019[7]), Survey of Adults Skills (PIAAC) (2012, 2015, 2018)
(database), www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/.

42. Share of employers that have an annual
performance review for all staff, 2017
42
Workplaces could be better organised to stimulate more
effective use of skills of employees
Progression rates between skill levels for UK
regions, 2013-17
Source: Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Scotland calculations using ONS (2018[63]),
“Two-quarter Longitudinal Dataset”, Labour Force Survey, various quarters.
Source: Department for Education (2017[14]), UK Employer Skills Survey (ESS) 2017,
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-employer-skills-survey-2017.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
% From low-skill to high-skill work From low-skill to mid-skill work
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
%

43. 43
Management skills and attitudes could be
improved
Reliance on professional management in OECD countries
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Italy
Slovenia
Portugal
SlovakRepublic
Poland
Latvia
Turkey
Mexico
Lithuania
CzechRepublic
Spain
NorthernIreland
Korea
Chile
France
OECDaverage
Estonia
Israel
Iceland
UnitedStates
Belgium
Luxembourg
Japan
Austria
Germany
Australia
Ireland
Switzerland
Canada
Denmark
UnitedKindom
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
NewZealand
Finland
Score 1-7
Source: World Economic Forum (2013[41]), The Global Competitiveness Report, 2012-13,
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2012-13.pdf; EAG (2013[38]), Competitiveness Index for
Northern Ireland, https://eagni.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Competitiveness-Index-for-Northern-Ireland-2013.pdf.

44. 44
Management skills and attitudes could be
improved
Reliance on professional management in OECD countries
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Italy
Slovenia
Portugal
SlovakRepublic
Poland
Latvia
Turkey
Mexico
Lithuania
CzechRepublic
Spain
NorthernIreland
Korea
Chile
France
OECDaverage
Estonia
Israel
Iceland
UnitedStates
Belgium
Luxembourg
Japan
Austria
Germany
Australia
Ireland
Switzerland
Canada
Denmark
UnitedKindom
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
NewZealand
Finland
Score 1-7
Develop a new strategy for
management and leadership
capabilities to raise awareness of
the challenge, provide a co-
ordinated approach and set out
a direction for action
(Recommendation 3.1)
Source: World Economic Forum (2013[41]), The Global Competitiveness Report, 2012-13,
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2012-13.pdf; EAG (2013[38]), Competitiveness Index for
Northern Ireland, https://eagni.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Competitiveness-Index-for-Northern-Ireland-2013.pdf.

45. 40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
Total
Belfast
East
South
North
West
2-4
5-24
25-49
50-99
100-249
Primarysectorandutilities
Manufacturing
Construction
Tradeandtransport
Businessandotherservices
Non-marketservices
Trainingplanandbudget
Notrainingplanorbudget
Total Region Establishment size Sector Training plan /
budgets
%
45
Despite many leadership and management programmes,
especially small businesses are not participating
Managers participating in training in the last 12 months in
Northern Ireland (UK), 2017
Source: Department for Education (2017[14]), UK Employer Skills Survey (ESS) 2017,
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-employer-skills-survey-2017.

46. 40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
Total
Belfast
East
South
North
West
2-4
5-24
25-49
50-99
100-249
Primarysectorandutilities
Manufacturing
Construction
Tradeandtransport
Businessandotherservices
Non-marketservices
Trainingplanandbudget
Notrainingplanorbudget
Total Region Establishment size Sector Training plan /
budgets
%
46
Despite many leadership and management programmes,
especially small businesses are not participating
Managers participating in training in the last 12 months in
Northern Ireland (UK), 2017
Source: Department for Education (2017[14]), UK Employer Skills Survey (ESS) 2017,
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-employer-skills-survey-2017.
Ensure sufficient provision of
management and leadership
programmes for micro and small
businesses by introducing new
programmes or expanding existing
ones (Recommendation 3.6)

47. 47
NI should aim to move towards more high value-
added activities by strengthening business support
Contribution to GDP by sector relative to UK average
-8 -3 2 7
Professional, scientific, technical
Information & communication
Financial & insurance activities
Real estate
Other services
Construction
Agriculture
Industry
Retail, transport, food
Public administration
%-point
Source: OECD (2020), GDp by sector

48. 48
NI should aim to move towards more high value-
added activities by strengthening business support
Contribution to GDP by sector relative to UK average
-8 -3 2 7
Professional, scientific, technical
Information & communication
Financial & insurance activities
Real estate
Other services
Construction
Agriculture
Industry
Retail, transport, food
Public administration
%-point
Source: OECD (2020), GDp by sector
Improve information on business support
programmes for growth and innovation,
especially for micro and small businesses,
including by raising the profile of
nibusinessinfo.co.uk and launching
diagnostic tools (Recommendation 3.13)

49. 49
4-STRENGTHENING THE
GOVERNANCE OF THE SKILLS
SYSTEM

50. Horizontal and vertical co ordination across Northern Ireland’s Government
50
Skills policies require coordination across different levels of
government
Horizontal co-ordination
Verticalco-ordination
City/Growth DealsDistrict councils
Economy
(DfE)
Education
(DE)
Finance
(DoF)
Communities
(DfC)
Agriculture,
Environment
and Rural
Affairs
(DAERA)
Health
Infrastructure
Justice
Others
UK Government

51. 51
Skills policies require effective engagement with
stakeholders
Selection of actors and stakeholder engagement bodies in Northern Ireland
Departments
Stakeholder Engagement Bodies
Strategic Advisory Forum
Sectoral partnerships
Careers Advisory Forum
NEET Strategy Forum
Neet Advisory Group Economic Advisory Group
Others
Learning providers Districts
EmployersEmployees Civil society

52. 52
Financial resources allocated to skills policy are
continuously decreasing and comparatively low
School spending per pupil across England,
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
5 000
5 200
5 400
5 600
5 800
6 000
6 200
6 400
6 600
6 800
7 000
GBP
Northern Ireland (UK) Wales (UK)
Scotland (UK) England (UK)
Source: Britton, J., C. Farquharson and L. Sibieta (2019[18]), Annual Report on Education Spending in England, Institute for Fiscal
Studies, https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/14369.; : ONS (2019[30]), Country and Regional Analysis,
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/country-and-regional-analysis-2018.
1 150
1 200
1 250
1 300
1 350
1 400
1 450
1 500
1 550
1 600
12
12.5
13
13.5
14
14.5
15
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland
GBP%
Spending as % of GDP Spending per head
UK regional spending on education and
skills, 2018

53. 53
Financial resources allocated to skills policy are
continuously decreasing and comparatively low
School spending per pupil across England,
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
5 000
5 200
5 400
5 600
5 800
6 000
6 200
6 400
6 600
6 800
7 000
GBP
Northern Ireland (UK) Wales (UK)
Scotland (UK) England (UK)
Source: Britton, J., C. Farquharson and L. Sibieta (2019[18]), Annual Report on Education Spending in England, Institute for Fiscal
Studies, https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/14369.; : ONS (2019[30]), Country and Regional Analysis,
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/country-and-regional-analysis-2018.
1 150
1 200
1 250
1 300
1 350
1 400
1 450
1 500
1 550
1 600
12
12.5
13
13.5
14
14.5
15
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland
GBP%
Spending as % of GDP Spending per head
UK regional spending on education and
skills, 2018
Commit all relevant decision makers and
ministers (incl. the first minister and deputy first
minister) to guarantee support and sustainable
financial resources to achieve strategic goals
as part of a binding, cross departmental Skills
Strategy for NI (Recommendation 4.1)

54. Potential structure of central oversight body on skills policy in Northern Ireland
54
Whole-of-government coordination can be
increased
District councils
City Deals
Growth Deals
Departments (DfE, DE, DfC,
DoF, DAERA, DoH)
Relevant arms-length bodies (e.g.
Invest NI, FE colleges)
Skills policyCentral skills needs
advisory body
chaired by independent
expert
oversees
and advises
advises/steers
are
represented
in
Experts
are
represented
in
Central oversight body on skills
policy
chaired by relevant minister(s)
(DfE, DE)
are
represented
in
advises/steers
implement
implement
Employers
Unions
are
represented
in
Increase co ordination
in skills policy (e.g. to
implement the
proposed skills strategy)
by introducing a central
oversight body with
representatives from all
relevant departments
and arms length bodies
(Recommendation 4.5)

55. 55
Efficient employer engagement needs whole-of-
government cooperation
As a result of mergers of
high level employer
engagement bodies,
implement a central
skills needs advisory
body to advise
government on skills
policy
(Recommendation 4.11)
District councils
City Deals
Growth Deals
Departments (DfE, DE, DfC,
DoF, DAERA, DoH)
Relevant arms-length bodies (e.g.
Invest NI, FE colleges)
Skills policyCentral skills needs
advisory body
chaired by independent
expert
oversees
and advises
advises/steers
are
represented
in
Experts
are
represented
in
Central oversight body on skills
policy
chaired by relevant minister(s)
(DfE, DE)
are
represented
in
advises/steers
implement
implement
Employers
Unions
are
represented
in
Potential structure of new central skills needs advisory body in Northern Ireland

56. 21
Questions & Answers #
Priority areas 3 & 4
15 minutes
Please click the Q&A
button and write your
questions
56

57. Contact
To discuss OECD’s work on OECD Skills Strategy projects, please contact:
Andrew.bell@oecd.org, A/Head, OECD Centre for Skills
Bart.staats@oecd.org, OECD Centre for Skills
To learn more about the OECD’s work on skills visit: www.oecd.org/skills/
57