Ulster Uni joins cross-border drive to improve skills mobility
Differences in accreditation, licensing and regulation have limited mobility for decades, with Brexit and the Windsor Framework adding pressure as systems continue to diverge
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Ulster University will be running a new Peaceplus-funded project led by Atlantic Technological University that will explore ways to reduce long-standing barriers to studying and working across the border, as partners seek to align qualification and regulatory systems.
The North South Education, Skills and Training: Empowering Economic Mobility (ESTEEM) project runs from April 2025 to June 2029 and brings together Ulster University, North West Regional College and Donegal Education and Training Board. The Centre for Cross-border Cooperation will provide policy support. The work aims to identify reforms that could ease student movement and improve how professional skills are recognised across jurisdictions.
Differences in accreditation, licensing and regulation have limited mobility for decades, with Brexit and the Windsor Framework adding pressure as systems continue to diverge. The partners will develop pilot projects to test practical solutions and will produce policy recommendations intended to support a more integrated all-island labour market.
Among the key strands are measures to improve student mobility, boost the portability of employment skills and create a research-led strategy to align education and workforce needs across the island. The organisations said that easing movement could widen access to talent, increase the return on public investment in education and support long-term economic growth.
ATU vice-president for cross border engagement, Paul Hannigan, said: “By breaking down barriers in education, skills, and workforce recognition, we’re not only creating new opportunities for learners and workers but laying the groundwork for greater economic prosperity and stronger cross-border collaboration.”
Ulster University director of regional engagement, professor Malachy Ó Néill, said: “Working alongside our Economic Policy Centre, we want to drive innovation, investment and access to opportunity on both sides of the border. We look forward to supporting the outputs of this project.”
SEUPB chief executive, Gina McIntyre, added: “North South ESTEEM is a project funded through the Strategic Planning and Engagement Programme Investment Area of Peaceplus that demonstrates the importance of collaboration in key areas that will benefit citizens across the island of Ireland. It will demonstrate how we can find impactful solutions to challenges that exist on both sides of the border.”