Education alliance to benefit cross border education provision and opportunities

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Education alliance to benefit cross border education provision and opportunities

The North West Strategic Growth Partnership, in partnership with the Higher and Further Education and Training Institutions of the North West City Region, has announced a new agreement in education, training and innovation for the North West City region with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between education sector providers on both sides of the border.

The MoU is the result of years of successful collaborative working amongst the education sector providers – the Ulster University, Letterkenny Institute for Technology (LYIT), North West Regional College (NWRC) and Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB) – with the aim of improving access to higher and further level education and training to students living and studying in the North West City region.

The North West Strategic Growth Partnership is led by Derry City and Strabane District Council and Donegal County Council and supported by the International Centre for Local and Regional Development (ICLRD) in conjunction with and supported by The Executive Office and The Irish Government.

The Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton T.D. was in attendance at today’s signing and endorsed this historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) saying, “Today’s announcement is a fantastic development for the North West region. This new partnership will greatly enhance collaboration between the education and training providers in key areas such as research, innovation and education and training.

“Brexit will pose a significant challenge to our higher and further education institutions. Through our Action Plan for Education, which aims to make Ireland’s education system the best in Europe within a decade, we are preparing our education and training providers to respond to this challenge. Talent drives the success of any region and strong hubs will be the engine of regional development. Today’s partnership is a very welcome development, which will have a really significant impact on the North West region.”

An Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr Gerry McMonagle said the signing of the MoU was hugely significant for the region. He said: “The MoU builds on the excellent collaborative work previously undertaken between the partners to support regional growth through delivering on the higher and further education needs of the North West. It will allow the partners to work together as anchors of the economy of the region and contribute to the advancement of the North West City Region growth agenda that investments in higher and further education can achieve with added value for everyone.”

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr Maolíosa McHugh said: “This is a significant event for education growth in our region and is in keeping with the objective set out by the North West Strategic Growth Partnership to promote cross cutting regional growth in the education sector. I am confident that the MoU will give the two governments the mechanism with which to engage with the education institutions to deliver on our shared further and higher educational ambitions and further enhance cross border co-operation.”

Professor Paddy Nixon, Vice Chancellor of Ulster University said: “This landmark agreement demonstrates our shared vision to create a regional strategic alliance for the North West, that drives innovation and investment and delivers co-ordinated cross border third level education to the people of this region and beyond. In practical terms, this consolidates the excellent collaboration that is already operating informally and embeds this partnership working model across our regional network. Today’s agreement will allow for a more co-ordinated approach to student pathway and progression and marks a step change in our approach to delivery of quality education in the North West.”

Paul Hannigan, President of Letterkenny Institute of Technology said the alignment of a cross border further and higher education cluster in the North West City region is essential if the region is to grow and develop its education offering and maximise the emerging potential for those who wish to live, work and invest in this region.

He said: “The signing of the MoU between the education providers in the region is very significant and is testament to the huge amount of positive work that has been done behind the scenes to really look at how we can develop education, research and innovation foundations for the North West region. This alliance will allow us to design and deliver new courses and programmes that will support economic and social development and improve efficiency through shared staffing and facilities on a range of programmes, teaching and research. Key to this alliance is the positive impact it will have on our students and the way it will open up new opportunities for them as well as encourage and facilitate wider participation in education programmes.”

Leo Murphy, Principal and Chief Executive of North West Regional College said the MoU will contribute greatly to the outcomes of the Further and Higher Education Strategy in the City and Region. “Anything that facilitates student mobility and participation in education is to be welcomed and this MoU will go a long way towards assisting us in facilitating further cross border co-operation in teaching, learning and innovation.”

Anne McHugh, Chief Executive of Donegal Education Training Board said she is confident this alliance will provide effective progression pathways for students and graduates to higher education. “This is great news for the education sector in the North West and a really positive collaboration between education providers on both sides of the border. The MoU will assist us in achieving many of the strategic goals set out in our Further Education and Training Strategy 2014-19 to ensure active inclusion, integrated planning and funding and quality provision.”

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Ulster University Business School joins elite USA group

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Ulster University Business School joins elite USA group

Ulster University Business School has been accepted into the prestigious Babson Collaborative for Entrepreneurship Education. Combined with its affiliation to Harvard Business School, Ulster University Business School has become the first Business School in the UK to have formal relationships with both institutions.

Based in Massachusetts, USA, Babson Collaborative is a membership organisation that brings together educational institutions seeking to increase their capability and capacity in building entrepreneurship education programmes. It is an initiative by Babson College which is regarded as a global authority in entrepreneurship education.

Professor Mark Durkin, Executive Dean of Ulster University Business School, said;

“We are delighted to have been accepted by Babson Collaborative, the most prestigious entrepreneurship institute in the world. This affiliation allows us to access, create, and share the most thought-provoking, and forward-looking content related to entrepreneurship education. But acceptance into the group is just the beginning as membership of this elite collaboration is dynamic and demands active participation and contribution by each of its affiliates. We are looking forward to playing our part which in turn will bring substantial added value to our School and alongside the partnership with Harvard, further strengthen our influence in the field of entrepreneurial education.”

Through membership in the Babson Collaboration, Ulster University Business School aims to enhance its entrepreneurship education offerings by developing new flexibly delivered modules such as Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurial Growth, tailored to the needs of Northern Ireland’s business community and learning from the best practices of the most revered entrepreneurship educators globally.

Heidi Neck, Professor, Babson College, said;

“We are very proud to have Ulster University Business School as a member of the Babson collaborative. I know that the School aims to be the leading provider of entrepreneurship education in the UK and Ireland by 2021. Like us at Babson, they are embracing change in educational delivery. Today, it’s all about customised learning experiences – learning through experimentation, building a tolerance, and appreciation for uncertainty. We applaud and support the work at the Business School and look forward to co-creating programmes and learning together.”

In April 2013, Ulster University Business School became the first School in the UK and is still the only School to be affiliated with Harvard Business School. Since then it has delivered the Microeconomics of Competitiveness course developed by Harvard Professor Michael E Porter, a world leading authority in matters of economic competitiveness.

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Ulster University launches test centre to meet growing demands for nurses across the UK

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Ulster University launches test centre to meet growing demands for nurses across the UK

Ulster University is continuing to support the vital transformation of Northern Ireland’s healthcare system by launching its new Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Competence Test Centre at Ulster University’s Magee campus, which aims to meet the growing demands for overseas nurses and midwives wishing to work in UK.

Nurses and midwives registered outside of the EU/EEA are required to undergo stringent procedures before they can practice in the UK. This involves successfully taking a two-part test of competence. The first part of the test is computer-based and can be taken anywhere in the world. If successful, applicants can then take the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) at a UK test centre.

Situated at the University’s Magee campus, as part of the School of Nursing, the new purpose-built, designated test centre will deliver the objective, structured clinical examination (OSCE), which tests applicants’ skills, knowledge and behaviours in a simulated practice environment.

The test centre at Ulster University is one of just three in the UK and the only centre in Northern Ireland. It joins similar centres in Oxford Brookes University and University of Northampton.

All non-EU/EEA registered nurses recruited directly by the Trusts will be required to go through the Test Centre at Magee before they can practice. With no waiting lists currently in place, Ulster University can bring our much-needed registered nurses recruited overseas through the centre immediately and ensure that they are all promptly allocated to clinical practice and patient care.

The new test centre, which has the potential to test 45 candidates per week will help to increase nursing capacity in UK, allowing a greater choice of location and shorter waiting times for overseas nurses and midwives wanting to sit the test.

The new Competence Test Centre facility at Magee Campus also serves the Independent Sector in enabling overseas nurses recruited to work in the Nursing Home sector to undertake the OSCE ‎in Northern Ireland.

Speaking at the opening of the new test centre, Professor Charlotte McArdle, Chief Nursing Officer for Northern Ireland, stated:

“We are actively addressing the nursing staffing issue on a number of levels, including the recruitment of 622 overseas nurses by 2020. The new Nursing and Midwifery Council Competence Test Centre at Ulster University will ensure that any oversees nurses who apply to work within the trusts each year have gained professional registration and that they are fit to practice in the UK at the required standard.

“We recognise the invaluable contribution that nurses educated outside the EU and EEA make and the key role they play in the UK’s health and care workforce, but it is vital that they possess the correct skills and qualifications required.”

Professor Carol Curran, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, also said:

“We are delighted that Ulster University is one of just three universities in the UK selected to offer such a vital service. This new test centre demonstrates the commitment of the University and the Department to strengthening and enhancing the healthcare workforce.

“Located at our Magee campus, the centre builds on our delivery of our nursing education provision and stratified medicine in the city. Alongside innovations such as our Physician Associate Course, our School of Nursing and our allied health profession courses, this test centre is a further opportunity to make a tangible impact on the pressing challenges and demands of our health service.

“Across our own skilled and committed nursing graduates and the nurses who will gain their registration through this centre, our Magee campus makes a valuable and rewarding contribution to nursing care.”

Lynn Fee, HSC International Recruitment Nursing Lead / Assistant Director of Nursing at Southern Health and Social Care Trust, also stated:

“The new test centre in Ulster University’s Magee campus is vital to ensure that the nurses educated outside the EU and EEA who wish to join our register can sit the test in a timely way, assisting overall in the direct intervention of healthcare workforce challenges in Northern Ireland.

“The current project to recruit overseas nurses for the HSC follows a regional approach. Nurses must pass through the NMC Competence Test Centre before they can practice and, once registered, are placed into the points of greatest need within the Healthcare System to best serve our community.”

For further information on Ulster University’s NMC competence test centre, visit https://www.ulster.ac.uk/faculties/life-and-health-sciences/nmc-competence-test-centre.

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New dairy technology centre opens in Artigarvan after £30m investment

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New dairy technology centre opens in Artigarvan after £30m investment

Mark Canning (left), corporate acquisition manager at Danske Bank, and Gabriel D’Arcy, chief executive of LacPatrick

Mark Canning (left), corporate acquisition manager at Danske Bank, and Gabriel D’Arcy, chief executive of LacPatrick

DAIRY processor LacPatrick has opened a new technology centre in Artigarvan following a £30 million Danske Bank-backed investment which has led to the creation of 20 jobs in areas such as operations, quality, environmental and health & safety.

LacPatrick was formed in 2015 after a merger between Town of Monaghan Co-Operative and Ballyrashane Co-Operative, and the Artigarvan site has 70 staff, with LacPatrick Dairies employing 300 people across all of its sites.

The new 30,000 sq ft centre will double the site’s capacity, making the firm one of the biggest producers of dairy products in the UK. It represents one of the single biggest investments in the Northern Ireland dairy industry in recent years.

Gabriel D’Arcy, chief executive of LacPatrick, said: “This new dairy technology centre will provide security of capacity for local dairy farmers, producing milk to the highest standards.

“The plant provides long-term security to our supplier base and positions the business at the forefront of global dairy technologies.

“We are now able to produce two new lines of milk powder for international markets with the dairy technology centre able to process milk all year round.”

Mr D’Arcy said the core logistical risk of Brexit has been greatly mitigated by the Artigarvan facility (as an exporter out of the UK, LacPatrick says it will be closely monitoring the trading agreements being negotiated).

He added: “We will be focused on driving product development, building relationships with processors seeking access to our technology and expanding our customer base in Asia and the Middle East.

“We have made a significant capital investment with the clear purpose of delivering a sustainable return to our suppliers over the coming months and years ahead.”

Mark Canning, corporate acquisition manager at Danske Bank, which has had a long-standing relationship with Ballyrashane Co-Operative, said: “This significant investment demonstrates LacPatrick’s continued innovative approach and dynamic presence in the dairy food sector.”

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Poundstretcher invests £500,000 and creates 20 x Jobs in Derry ~ Londonderry

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Poundstretcher invests £500,000 and creates 20 x Jobs in Derry ~ Londonderry

poundstretcher

Poundstretcher has confirmed its new Derry store will open on Tuesday 6th Feb at the Faustina Retail Park. Poundstretcher have invested £500,000 in the new store and recruited 20 new members of staff (part and full time). Poundstretchers investment at the Faustina Retail park follows the investment and creation of 80 jobs by The Range Retail Group at this key cross border retail park.

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