North West Tertiary Education Cluster and Epic Futures NI back cross-border conference on talent

Leading education and research institutions are the co-headline sponsors of the conference, which will take place in Dundalk on Thursday 17 September.

The event, hosted by the Centre for Cross Border Cooperation, will explore cross-border talent in terms of pupils, educational institutions, employers, and business support organisations.

Dr Anthony Soares, CCBC Director, said: “We’re delighted to have the support of North West Tertiary Education Cluster and Epic Future at this year’s conference.

“The Cluster has a long history of cross-border collaboration in education in the North West while EPIC Futures NI brings together academia, policymakers, business, and the community and voluntary sector. The common denominator is Ulster University, which is a key member of the Cluster and leads the EPIC Futures project.

“Collaboration for the benefit of communities is at the heart of both.”

Professor Malachy Ó Néill, Director of Regional Engagement and Professor of Irish at Ulster University, said: “Talent does not stop at borders, and neither do the challenges and opportunities involved in developing the skills and workforce our regions need. Through EPIC Futures NI, we are working with employers, policymakers, communities and education partners to understand how we can create fairer and more inclusive pathways into employment, respond to changing skills needs, and ensure that people and places are able to benefit from economic change.

“This conference provides an important opportunity to bring perspectives from across the island together, share evidence and strengthen the collaboration needed to build a more inclusive and resilient future workforce.”

Paul Hannigan, Vice President for Cross Border Engagement at Atlantic Technological University, added: “The North West Tertiary Education Cluster is a strategic alliance of all four publicly funded tertiary educational providers in the North West City Region, comprising Atlantic Technological University, Ulster University, Donegal Education and Training Board and North West Regional College.

“It provides the full range of educational services including advanced skills training, cutting-edge innovation supports for enterprise, and internationally-recognised high-quality research. The Cluster has three core growth pillars of smart growth, sustainable growth and inclusive growth.

“NWTEC was established via the North West Strategic Growth Partnership and is focused on supporting the development of the North West City Region which comprises Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council.”

Joining NWTEC and Epic Futures NI as conference sponsors are Dublin City University, Queen’s University Belfast, the All Island Institute of Public Health, InterTradeIreland, C-CASE and Ibec.