20 May 2026
New research to support Irish Medium vocational learners
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has announced a new research project to examine the vocational pathways available to Irish Medium learners in Northern Ireland. The project, delivered through Stranmillis University College, was committed to in the Department for the Economy’s Skills Action Plan and will explore the barriers learners currently face in accessing the skills they need for good jobs.
The Minister has framed the work as part of a wider ambition for an inclusive skills ecosystem. She has emphasised the importance of equitable access to skills and vocational pathways for Irish Medium learners, and the role this research will play in helping the Department better understand the challenges these learners experience.
The Project Lead, Professor Noel Purdy OBE, Director of Research and Scholarship at Stranmillis University College, has described the project as timely. He has indicated that the research will engage with stakeholders across the sector and, importantly, with young people themselves, whose voices will be central to shaping the study’s insights and recommendations.
For the careers profession, the research is a welcome development. Irish Medium learners are well represented in the school system, yet vocational and apprenticeship pathways have not always evolved in step with the growth of Irish Medium education. A clearer evidence base will support more confident, informed careers conversations and help practitioners signpost relevant options at points of transition. It also strengthens the case for inclusive labour market information that reflects the full diversity of the NI learner population.
CDI members working with Irish Medium learners or in adult guidance settings may wish to follow the project as it develops, and to consider how its emerging findings might shape local CPD, resources and stakeholder collaboration.
Read the Minister’s announcement in full.
The Minister has framed the work as part of a wider ambition for an inclusive skills ecosystem. She has emphasised the importance of equitable access to skills and vocational pathways for Irish Medium learners, and the role this research will play in helping the Department better understand the challenges these learners experience.
The Project Lead, Professor Noel Purdy OBE, Director of Research and Scholarship at Stranmillis University College, has described the project as timely. He has indicated that the research will engage with stakeholders across the sector and, importantly, with young people themselves, whose voices will be central to shaping the study’s insights and recommendations.
For the careers profession, the research is a welcome development. Irish Medium learners are well represented in the school system, yet vocational and apprenticeship pathways have not always evolved in step with the growth of Irish Medium education. A clearer evidence base will support more confident, informed careers conversations and help practitioners signpost relevant options at points of transition. It also strengthens the case for inclusive labour market information that reflects the full diversity of the NI learner population.
CDI members working with Irish Medium learners or in adult guidance settings may wish to follow the project as it develops, and to consider how its emerging findings might shape local CPD, resources and stakeholder collaboration.
Read the Minister’s announcement in full.
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