To ask the Minister for the Economy to outline any engagement she has had with the Minister of Education regarding proposed legislation to extend compulsory participation in education and training to age 18.

Dr Archibald

With your permission, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle,

I will answer questions 2 and 9 together. I have engaged with the Minister of Education on a range of issues relating to learner pathways, curriculum reform and participation in education and training. While officials from my Department and the Department of Education engage regularly, engagement on the draft framework has been limited to date. The Department of Education is consulting on the draft framework, and my officials are working with the further education sector to help inform my Department's response. I am aware of, and share, some of the concerns expressed by teachers, parents and students regarding aspects of the TransformED agenda. Those concerns warrant careful consideration. I support efforts to encourage young people to remain engaged in education, skills and training. However, significant questions remain regarding the practical implementation and enforceability of proposals to extend participation to age 18. Further work by the Department of Education is required before implementation can be considered.

Mr Mathison

I thank the Minister for that answer. A lot of concerns are being raised about the distinct shift in the draft curriculum framework from a curriculum that is focused on skills to one that is very much focused on a knowledge-rich approach. Given your responsibilities around the skills agenda, how will you continue to engage with the Education Minister to ensure that our young people leave the education system not just having received knowledge but equipped with the skills that they need to go out and contribute to the economy and workplace?

Dr Archibald

I thank the Member for his question. My officials will continue to engage with Department of Education officials on that wider piece of work. Although we have not been involved directly in developing the proposals, I and my Department have a focus on ensuring that we have the skills that meet the needs of the economy now and in the future. It is important that what we are doing in my Department and the Department of Education is joined up across government and also across the community and voluntary sector. I will continue to keep a close eye on that as it progresses, and my officials will continue to work with their colleagues in the Department of Education.

Dr Archibald

I thank the Member for her question. I have engaged directly with the Education Minister on the legislation, and my officials have engaged with their colleagues. As I said, I support the principle. I want young people to stay in education or training, but, as the Member said, it has to be the right pathway for the young person. Having the structures and frameworks in place is one thing, but we need to be able to fund them, and we are facing particular challenges. We are actually doing really well when it comes to engaging young people in training pathways, and we have seen significant increases in the number of young people taking up traineeships and apprenticeships. That is hugely welcome but comes with additional costs, and we have to make sure that we properly resource whatever we put in place. I have emphasised that in my engagement with the Education Minister, and I will continue to engage with him as this progresses.

Mr Delargy

Minister, I appreciate that you have already answered this question in part, but how will curriculum 2028 affect learners going into further education?

Dr Archibald

I thank the Member for his question. In the type of qualifications that young people obtain, the subjects that they study and ensuring that a range of pathways is available, it is important that the curriculum, as it develops, recognises the value not only of academic pathways but of technical and vocational pathways, that there are pathways for everybody, regardless of their ability, and that there is support for young people, in particular young people with special educational needs. We need to plan for transitions and ensure that there is suitable flexibility so that learners can progress from academic pathways into further education or employment opportunities with suitable support. As I said, we will continue to engage with the Education Minister on that, and it is important that any revised curriculum framework supports the pathways in further education as well.

Ms Brownlee

Does the Minister agree that, by ensuring that the curriculum matches the needs of the economy, the Education Minister is doing the right thing?

Dr Archibald

I thank the Member for her question. As I said, it is about making sure that we are meeting the needs of all learners. We will continue to engage with the Education Minister. I think that we share the aspiration that what we teach young people, in school or further or higher education, meets the needs of the economy in not just the here and now but in the future as well. We are equipping them with the appropriate digital skills and other skills that they require, which will support us in developing the economy but also in developing the type of society that we want. Education is not just about the economy, of course. It is about opening minds and raising aspirations, which is important, and we need to capture that in the curriculum.