Chamber meets with DEL Minister Stephen Farry

Londonderry Chamber of Commerce today held a very successful meeting with Dr Stephen Farry, the Minister for Employment and Learning.

Chamber President Padraig Canavan said:


"Londonderry Chamber of Commerce stressed to Dr Farry the importance of skills if the North West's economy is to improve. It is essential that we expand and strengthen our skills base, both in terms of high value skills and basic skills. We have far too few people with the top end skills needed in the modern economy - and very sadly far too many people without the basic literacy, numeracy and IT skills that are also needed. As business leaders, we recognise the difficulties that minister Farry has in terms of funding, but we believe it is absolutely essential for the North West's economy that the money is made available for the substantial expansion of the Magee campus and that this expansion is based on the science, technology, engineering, maths and creative industries skills required in the modern economy. We also emphasised that independent studies had found the likely value to the North West of an expanded Magee would be about an additional £240m of economic activity per year. No other government action can generate equivalent value to our local economy.

"I am certain that Dr Farry understood and recognised the points we expressed. I trust that he also realises that the Chamber will continue to press these points to him and his colleagues until we achieve our objective of dramatically improving the skills base in the North West."



The meeting took place at the Chamber's offices in Derry between 12 noon and 2pm today, Wednesday 11 October, at the request of the Chamber. It is one of a series of meetings the Chamber is holding with Executive ministers. It was attended by Senior Chamber Directors and Chamber Members.