To ask the Minister for the Economy to outline any work being undertaken by her Department to support students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds in accessing high-quality work placements.

My Department is focused on ensuring that everyone in our society has access to skills pathways to access Good Jobs. We work closely with our delivery partners, stakeholders and other government departments to understand and address the barriers that those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds face – including accessing high-quality work placements. Work placements for students are taken forward through arrangements between the students place of study the employer. Our higher education providers offer support for students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds as part of Widening Participation activities. Further, there are work placements incorporated into a number of programmes available through my Department which are available to those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, for example:

Skills for Life and Work Programme which focuses primarily on Entry Level and Level 1, for young people aged 16–17 who have left school with low or no qualifications.

NI Level 2 Traineeships helps young people move into level 3 education, apprenticeships, or employment and contributes to tackling educational and skills inequality in NI.

The Breaking Barriers programme has funded the Open University (OU) in conjunction with local employers to support internships, with the aim of widening participation.

The Graduate Boost programme specifically targets those who are neurodiverse. The formal work-based learning experience combined with a post graduate accredited module enables graduate students to further enhance employment opportunities.

The Women Returners Programme specifically targets those economically excluded from the workforce, provides a work placement and access to employment opportunities linked to qualification studied.