NIE Networks Offers Scholarship Programme Worth Over £45k

NIE Networks is offering electrical engineering students a scholarship programme worth over £45,000, combining financial support with practical industry experience.

Applications for the 2026 intake are now open and will close at 11pm on Friday, November 7.

The scheme provides a £3,000 annual bursary, paid summer placements during university, and one year of paid industrial experience. Each scholar is paired with a company mentor and receives guidance through professional registration. Over 90 students have completed the programme, with most securing full-time roles after graduation.

Eligible students are those enrolled in first-year electrical engineering courses, or second-year students on an MEng programme, at Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, or any Power Academy University with an IET-accredited electrical, electronic, or power engineering course. Eligible courses include MEng or BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering, BEng Renewable Energy Engineering, BSc Energy, and related IET-accredited programmes.

Graduates of the scheme can apply for NIE Networks’ Fast Track Graduate Engineer programme, which starts at £45,000.

NI Housing Leaders To Tackle Local Supply Challenges

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is set to bring the construction and housing sectors together for a major conference on Friday, November 14 at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh, County Tyrone.

The event will focus on practical steps to increase the supply of private, social and affordable homes across the district, addressing the growing pressure on housing in both urban and rural areas.

The 'Future Housing Provision: Housing Conference 2025' will bring contractors, developers, housing associations, planning professionals and infrastructure providers face-to-face with key decision-makers from government and the community sector. Discussions will centre on removing barriers to delivery, improving housing availability and ensuring that new developments meet the needs of local people.

A strong line-up of speakers will include Professor Paddy Gray (Ulster University), representatives from the Department for Communities, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Planning Department, and housing associations such as Co-Ownership Housing. The conference will also feature input from estate agents, young people and tenant representatives. Paul Clark (Broadcaster) will chair proceedings. Councillor Barry McElduff, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, said: “Housing is one of the defining challenges of our time. This conference is an opportunity to bring partners together to move from policy into action.

My emphasis is that we need to see this happen in a local context … in our main towns, Omagh and Enniskillen, in our smaller towns including Carrickmore, Dromore, Fintona, Irvinestown and Lisnaskea, and in our villages and other rural areas. We want to create the conditions to deliver more social and affordable homes, in the right places, for those who need them most.”

Cllr McElduff added: "Where are our people, young and old, going to live is a question that I am often asked. What is available or deliverable ? Will it be affordable ? This conference is about addressing those questions."

Delegates from across the construction and housing sectors are expected to attend, including developers, architects, planners, infrastructure providers, estate agents, and representatives from the community, voluntary and advice sectors, alongside elected members and government officials.

The event will run from 8.45am to 1pm, followed by a networking lunch.

Alliance Welcomes Establishment Of IEPA

Alliance Environment spokesperson John Blair MLA has welcomed the conclusion of an expert panel which has recommended that an independent Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) be established in Northern Ireland.

The report contains 32 recommendations, many designed to ensure much clearer separation between policy-making and regulation, and to improve public confidence and trust in environmental governance.

The South Antrim MLA has said: "This detailed and comprehensive report is an important intervention in efforts to strengthen environmental governance and establish an independent Environmental Protection Agency.

"From the dreadful scenes of blue-green algae plaguing Lough Neagh, to illegal dumping at Mobuoy, state of nature and biodiversity all point to the need for robust environmental protections in Northern Ireland. Alliance has a strong track record in support of an IEPA, in the knowledge that the transparency and accountability it will bring is crucial for safeguarding our natural world, as well as being the ultimate invest-to-save measure.

"I want to thank the panel of experts for their invaluable insight, and commend Minister Muir for his wholehearted commitment, and would urge others to get behind the panel recommendations. The case for change could not be more pressing and we have no time for delay."