The North South ESTEEM (Education, Skills & Training: Empowering Economic Mobility) project is a bold new collaboration led by Atlantic Technological University, working alongside Ulster University, North West Regional College, and Donegal Education and Training Board, with policy expertise from the Centre for Cross-border Cooperation.

Th project has received funding of €2.3 million from PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

For decades, students and skilled workers on the island of Ireland have faced invisible borders – barriers created not by geography, but by systems.

Different qualification frameworks, contrasting accreditation processes, and diverging regulations have made it difficult for learners and professionals to move freely between North and South. Now, North South ESTEEM is set to change that.

The project will run from April 2025 to June 2029, and aims to create a seamless pathway for education and employment across the island.