Dr Kristen Reid & Dr Fran Myers, The Open University Business School, The Open University. Northern Ireland’s increasing policy focus on apprenticeships and work-based learning for 16-18-year-olds places growing responsibility on employers to support younger learners effectively. While these routes are central to skills development, productivity and inclusive growth, far less attention has been paid to whether employers – particularly their line managers and workplace mentors

Prof Laura McCauley & Dr Isobel Cunningham, Ulster University Business School, Ulster University. This presentation addresses Northern Ireland’s social economy, a key economic and social pillar in Northern Ireland, which is growing in size, breadth and impact.  It contributes £933 million to the Northern Ireland economy and delivers €2.34 billion of impact in the Republic of Ireland, supporting nearly 100,000 jobs across the island of Ireland,

Dr Finola Ferry, Dr Laura Gallagher & Prof Jamie Murphy, Administrative Data Research Centre NI (ADRC NI), School of Psychology, Ulster University. Increasing the percentage of the Northern Ireland population in “good jobs” is a policy priority identified in the Northern Ireland Executive Programme for Government (PfG) 2024-27 and is one of four key objectives in the Department for the Economy’s (DfE) Economic Vision. In consultation