Upper Bann MLA Sam Gardiner as said that 10,745 students are studying for higher education degree level courses in Northern Ireland’s 6 regional colleges and one agricultural college.
Speaking following receipt of answers to questions tabled at Stormont, Mr Gardiner said:
“This represents an increase of 1,495 on the 2007/08 figure of 9,250, an increase of just over 16%. There are currently 32 full-time and 25 part-time Foundation degree courses and 12 full-time degree courses taught locally under franchise from UK universities and 18 part-time degree courses also franchised from UK universities across the 6 Further Education Regional Colleges and the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise.”
“People often think that higher education stops at the doors of our universities but a substantial amount of higher education is actually delivered outside the universities in our regional colleges. A lot of this is vocational in nature and related to specific career paths. We often forget about the enormous contribution that our colleges make to our skills base, a critical part of our attraction for inward investment.”