Employment and learning committee

Members received briefings from the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIBP), the University for Derry (U4D) and the Assembly's Research unit on "Building a Better Future - End Year Delivery Report".

Barry Macauley and his team from the RNIBP outlined the difficulties faced by sight impaired students in undertaking further and higher education in Northern Ireland.

He said that with the right support, students could complete third level education successfully but that there were currently significant challenges, from providing information on university courses to A level students, through to partnership with college authorities to aid visually impaired students with many aspects of university life.

The case for economic rejuvenation in Londonderry, with focus on the expansion of Magee College was then presented by Padraig Canavan from U4D.

He said that the brain drain of higher level students was having a detrimental effect on the local economy and proposed Magee campus to be extended from 4,000 to 10,000 students in order to become a self-sustaining university.

The committee said that they needed time to consider the information presented.

The committee also examined the Further Education (Student Support) (Eligibility) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009.