To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any consideration she has given to the need for upskilling and reskilling in the economy due to the increasing prevalence and use of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace.

My Department recognises the importance of upskilling and reskilling in order to harness the benefits of AI in the workplace. My department, along with InvestNI are funding (£16.3m) the Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre. This is a five-year programme delivered by Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast. During 2024/2025 the Skill Up programme approved over 100 training places related to AI. These were fully funded courses from level 2 to level 7 delivered through further and higher education providers. Higher-Level Apprenticeship (HLA) programmes include IT-related qualifications from level 5 through to Level 7, which contain modules on AI.