AQW 39576/22-27 Written question to the Minister for the Economy
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail the total staffing resource, allocated to her Department's Skills Initiative Branch, each year, since 2020-21.
Asked by Connie Egan MLA on 2 February 2026
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 2 February 2026
- Answer due by
- 17 February 2026
- Answered
- 16 February 202614 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for the Economy
- Priority question
- No
Answer
My Department’s Skills Initiatives Branch was established in 2021, details of the total staffing resource allocated are included on table 1.
| Year | Skills Initiatives Branch staffing resource |
| 2021-2022 | £241,000 |
| 2022-2023 | £353,000 |
| 2023-2024 | £474,000 |
| 2024-2025 | £639,000 |
| 2025-2026 | £758,000 |
Table 1.
The Skills Initiatives Branch has delivered a range of strategically important programmes supported by multiple funding streams. In 2021, resources for programme delivery and staffing were provided by the Northern Ireland Office and the Executive’s Economic Recovery Action Plan.
From 2022, the Branch assumed the partnership role for the Construction Industry Training Board, a Departmental arm’s length body. Its’ remit expanded further in 2023 to include the Multiply Programme, funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Green Skills initiative linked to the Energy Strategy. In 2024, responsibilities grew to encompass the Executive’s Skills Fund, and in 2025 the Branch began leading the development of the skills component of the Enhanced Investment Zone.