EAUC Visits Northern Ireland

2nd March 2011

Andrew Chamberlain (EAUC Head of Programme and Events and Scotland Manager) and Sarah Lee (UCCCfS Programme Manager) recently visited colleagues, institutions and Government departments in Northern Ireland to discuss the role and work of the EAUC and to investigate opportunities for deepening relationships. The week long trip saw productive meetings held with Northern Ireland’s Department for Employment and Learning, the Department of Environment, six regional colleges and two universities.

The meetings highlighted the considerable good work and existing sustainability activity happening in Northern Ireland that the rest of the UK can learn from. For those of you not already aware of the Carbon Zero Northern Ireland initiative, it is well worth a look (www.carbonzeroni.com). Currently financed by DEL through the Innovation Fund Employer Support Programme, Carbon Zero NI is a sector wide initiative within the further education sector and is led by South West College.

The initiative provides technology development and innovation support to industry and delivers an extensive array of training courses focused on developing a skilled workforce in renewable energy in Northern Ireland. Wind Energy, Energy from Waste and Clean Energy Storage are also fields that technical research will focus on as areas for growth in Northern Ireland.

The visit highlighted a range of ways in which the EAUC can work more closely with institutions in Northern Ireland and by doing so ensure that it is reaching all parts of the UK. The Scotland Branch of the EAUC has invited two Northern Irish representatives to attend its quarterly meetings, creating in the process a Scotland and Northern Ireland Branch. In addition, we intend to facilitate dedicated Northern Irish networking opportunities, the first of which has been arranged at Queens University Belfast on Friday 15th April. This event will formally launch the partnership between Scotland and NI and will include a workshop on behavior change and leadership.

One other issue the visit flagged up was the considerable collaborative activity between Northern and Southern Irish institutions and this will inform the development of the EAUC’s International Strategy. More details of the workshop and activity will be available shortly.