Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has commended the hundreds of employers across the local economy that are actively contributing to the development of higher level skills.

The Minister's comments followed the publication of a one-off data analysis by NISRA titled 'Employer participation in Higher Level Apprenticeships (HLA) across Northern Ireland 2025'. Higher Level Apprenticeships give individuals the chance to undertake high-quality, work-based training while earning a recognised higher education qualification.

The research reveals that:

• 1,030 businesses here were employing higher level apprentices in 2025.

• Employer participation shows a balanced spread by business size: 30% micro, 36% small and 34% with 50+ employees.

• South West College, which covers Tyrone and Fermanagh, partnered with the largest number of employers, working with 285 unique businesses, and accounting for 28% of all unique employers. • Belfast recorded the highest concentration of businesses employing Higher Level Apprentices with 17 per thousand businesses; closely followed by Mid Ulster, where 16 per thousand businesses employed an HLA and Newry, Mourne and Down recorded 15 businesses per thousand businesses.

• There were 2,760 HLA students in 2023/24 – the most recent available data.

Commenting on the findings, Minister Archibald said: "This report highlights the strong contribution Higher Level Apprenticeships are making to delivering my Economic Vision.

"It shows how we are creating good jobs in key growth sectors, while supporting greater regional balance, with opportunities spread across communities right across the north.

"By working with employers and our Further Education colleges and Universities, Higher Level Apprentices are helping build the skilled workforce we need to increase productivity and support the transition to a more sustainable, low‑carbon economy."

The statistical findings point to a broad geographical spread of Higher Level Apprenticeship opportunities spanning multiple 'Good Job' sectors, including specialised construction, computer programming, accounting, and legal services.

Furthermore, South West College, Southern Regional College, and Ulster University collectively accounted for more than 50% of the employers engaged in the scheme, demonstrating that Higher Level Apprenticeship employment is well-distributed rather than confined to a single region.