1. Clare Foster Head CEIAG Making Your Choices 5th March 2013

2. What You Need to Know to Make Your Choices • Changes in the NI economy. • Future employment opportunities • Skills employers want. • Where can you access information? • Working together to meet the challenge.

4. Programme for Government Priority No 1: Growing the Economy Increase Job Numbers and Job Quality Increase Exports Invest in Skills Invest in Innovation & R&D

5. NI better off than a decade ago – but it will still take time to recover fully Future Prospects

6. Challenges – but opportunities too • Local economic conditions remain challenging • But real opportunities for growth if we can succeed in export markets • Some very clear messages about current and future skill needs. • Important that Labour Market Information harnessed and used to help people shape career decisions • But other factors important too including employer engagement/ Career attractiveness agenda • Having the right skills and qualifications in the right areas is critical to drive future success

7. Where will the Future Employment Opportunities be?

8. Some of our Recent Investors

9. Other Key Sectors.... • Advanced Materials and Engineering(aerospace, electrical, electronics, automotive, renewables) • Agrifood • Life & Health Sciences • Tourism/Leisure • New emphasis on languages (Global market place)

10. Recent Projects In the last 10 years 78% of new FDI jobs have been in business & financial services and software

11. Skills employers want Highly skilled and well educated people is consistently cited as the most important reason for international investment in NI

12. Skills Shortages • Skills Gaps/Skills Shortages exist in NI • Employers in range of engineering disciplines (electrical, chemical) have cited difficulties in securing staff in NI • Estimated that there are 400 unfilled software development vacancies in NI

13. Skills Pressures • War on Talent....worldwide demand for software engineers • Not just academic ability – employability skills (interpersonal/ communication etc) are vital • Yet, there is a large oversupply in other areas

14. Where can I Access Information to Help in the Decision Making Process? www.nidirect.gov.uk/careers

21. Working together to meet the challenge