Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any steps she is taking to ensure that the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace does not reduce opportunities for young people in gaining early career experience.
Minister for the Economy: Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents significant opportunities for economic growth and productivity. My focus is on ensuring that people across the labour market, including young people starting their careers, are well placed to benefit from an increasingly AI-enabled economy.
My Department is investing in apprenticeships, Higher Level Apprenticeships, Assured Skills and other skills programmes that support entry routes into employment and help people develop the qualifications, skills and practical experience employers need. The Department is also supporting AI-related skills development through the Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre, which provides AI training and postgraduate scholarship opportunities.
Through my AI Advisory Panel, which has identified skills and workforce preparedness as priority areas of focus initially, I am working with employers, education providers and other stakeholders to better understand the opportunities and challenges AI presents, and to help ensure that its adoption continues to support people at all stages of their working lives, including young people gaining the skills, experience and pathways needed to enter and progress in the labour market.
ENDS
