UU’s Magee Campus in Derry
Said the Foyle MLA: “Recent media coverage has yet again highlighted the serious imbalance of university provision in the North of Ireland, with Belfast hosting the vast majority of university students.
“This the effect of boosting the skills of the Belfast labour market, further disadvantaging other parts of the North.
“A full sized university for Derry is embedded in the SDLP DNA. It was a campaign led by John Hume, that the whole party remains committed to.
“Local employers in Derry remain frustrated that they want to recruit more people with graduate and higher vocational level skills, yet our higher education sector is too small to meet their needs. This is unacceptable.
“Before the election I published the SDLP’s ‘Jobs Creation Strategy for Derry and the North West’, which placed university expansion in the city at its heart.
“The SDLP will not waver from its campaign for university expansion to no less than 10,000 students.
“To achieve this, we need a functioning government, which expands the maximum student numbers – but specifically for Derry.
“We have seen the establishment of the Medical School, we are about to benefit from the transfer of undergraduate health and life sciences students to Magee and new course provision around AI, robotics and data analytics can substantially boost jobs, income and economic activity in Derry.
“But this will still be insufficient for the needs of the city and the wider North West region.
“The substantial expansion of university provision in Derry is essential for the city’s future well-being.”
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