30 October 2026
Northern Ireland Skills Council relaunches with AI and green focus
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has welcomed members of the Northern Ireland Skills Council to its first full meeting following a review of the Council, the Department for the Economy announced on 16 October. The Council is an independent advisory body on skills policy, chaired by Kathleen O'Hare, and brings together expertise from business, employees, education, government and the third sector to advise on how skills policy is developed and delivered.
Under a renewed operating model, the Council will concentrate on strategic advice about the main workforce and skills challenges facing Northern Ireland. It will initially work on three priority themes: Digital Skills and Artificial Intelligence, Green Skills, and Future Skills and Advanced Manufacturing. These support the Department's Economic Vision and its Sectoral Action Plans. The Council will also strengthen its collaboration with Ireland's National Skills Council on shared skills and labour market challenges.
The Minister said skills were central to a more productive, regionally balanced and sustainable economy and to creating good jobs, and that the Council would provide valuable advice on changing skills needs. The chair said the relaunch was an opportunity to strengthen the link between skills policy, employer needs and economic development, with effective collaboration between government, employers and education providers essential in each priority area.
For careers practitioners, the three themes are a clear signal of where skills policy attention will sit over the coming period, and they connect with developments already in view this year, including the AI Advisory Panel and the Careers Service's Green Skills bulletin. The closer link with Ireland's National Skills Council is also relevant for practitioners supporting clients who weigh study and work options on both sides of the border. As the Council's advice emerges, it will be worth asking how careers guidance is built into the skills system it describes, not added on afterwards.
Read more from the announcement about the Northern Ireland Skills Council.
Under a renewed operating model, the Council will concentrate on strategic advice about the main workforce and skills challenges facing Northern Ireland. It will initially work on three priority themes: Digital Skills and Artificial Intelligence, Green Skills, and Future Skills and Advanced Manufacturing. These support the Department's Economic Vision and its Sectoral Action Plans. The Council will also strengthen its collaboration with Ireland's National Skills Council on shared skills and labour market challenges.
The Minister said skills were central to a more productive, regionally balanced and sustainable economy and to creating good jobs, and that the Council would provide valuable advice on changing skills needs. The chair said the relaunch was an opportunity to strengthen the link between skills policy, employer needs and economic development, with effective collaboration between government, employers and education providers essential in each priority area.
For careers practitioners, the three themes are a clear signal of where skills policy attention will sit over the coming period, and they connect with developments already in view this year, including the AI Advisory Panel and the Careers Service's Green Skills bulletin. The closer link with Ireland's National Skills Council is also relevant for practitioners supporting clients who weigh study and work options on both sides of the border. As the Council's advice emerges, it will be worth asking how careers guidance is built into the skills system it describes, not added on afterwards.
Read more from the announcement about the Northern Ireland Skills Council.
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Northern Ireland Skills Council relaunches with AI and green focu...
The relaunched Northern Ireland Skills Council will advise on digital and AI, ...
30 October 2026
