Essential Skills initiative students in the Building Services Engineering (BSE) sector have been lauded by the Employment Minister.

Hosting a reception at Stormont, Sir Reg Empey brought together some of Northern Ireland’s leading employers in the sector, as well as representatives from employer federations, trade associations and training providers.

Essential Skills, funded by Department for Employment and Learning (DEL), is run as a partnership between SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the BSE sector, Unite the Union and the Electrical Training Trust.

A fully funded and customised workplace learning programme, Essential Skills allows students to achieve a Level 1 or Level 2 qualification in ICT.

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Those embarking on the course are able to make an important step in their career in the sector, which comprises the electrotechnical, heating and ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration and plumbing industries.

Sir Reg said: "The future success of our economy depends on our ability to develop new or improve existing skills. Engaging in programmes such as Essential Skills will ensure that we, as a progressive economy, are prepared for the upturn.

"I congratulate the learners for their achievements and am delighted by the turn out of so many interested employers."

The Essential Skills classes are run as functional workplace-based qualifications in numeracy, literacy and ICT, with the purpose of upskilling learners to contribute to their employers’ business outputs and performance.

Now in its second year, the scheme is expanding across Northern Ireland to offer the courses to all employers and companies within the BSE sector.

Companies currently enjoying the success of their graduates include KNI, Fire NI, Wrightbus, Dowds Electrical and Glenavy Electrics among others.

(PR/GK)