The Open University’s Manifesto for the 2022-27 Northern Ireland Assembly

Embedding a culture of lifelong learning in our society will be a game-changer. Essential to that is accessible part-time, flexible higher education. Recognising its value and prioritising its growth is key to addressing skills shortages, economic productivity, regional imbalances, and social inclusion.

Key Asks

a woman holds a child in her arms. they are facing away from the us and pointing up a hot air balloon

A statutory right to lifelong learning

The Northern Ireland Assembly should introduce a Lifelong Learning Bill so that anyone can access learning when they need it.

graduates in robes lined up ready to go on stage

A sustainable higher education funding model

Part-time students should have access to loans that cover the full cost of the course, maintenance support and the childcare grant.

a man in a turquoise t-shirt sits on a wall with books on his knee and he writes in a notebook

Prioritisation of investment in skills

A ring-fenced skills fund that transcends annual budgets will help us build a modern, prosperous, and more sustainable economy.

Download our vision here

The Open University is rooted in communities, responding to local need through our work with Further Education Colleges, Knowledge Exchange Programmes, Business Partnerships, Community Partnerships Project. I am proud that The Open University has risen to the challenges of recent years and supported our students and the communities they live in. Part of rebuilding and recovering in the future will be filling the skills gaps in our economy, empowering local businesses, and workers, helping to build better lives for all our citizens, addressing the climate emergency and ensuring a just transition to a net-zero economy. To make this reality we need to make part-time further and higher education meaningfully accessible.
John Darcy
Director of The Open University in Ireland