Consultation response - Good Jobs (cover note)

The Open University in Ireland 

110 Victoria Street 

Belfast 

BT1 3GN 

Tel +44 2890 245025 

www.open.ac.uk/northern-ireland

 

Employment Relations Policy & Legislation Teams 

Department for the Economy 

5th Floor, Adelaide House 

39-49 Adelaide Street 

Belfast

BT2 8FD

 

30 September 2024

To whom it may concern, 

CONSULTATION RESPONSE – GOOD JOBS

The following pages provide a cover note to supplement The Open University in Ireland’s response to the Department’s “Good Jobs” Employment Rights Bill consultation. A completed question booklet has also been submitted by email. If you have any questions, please get in touch via the email address below.

Yours sincerely, 

Emma O’Kane 

Senior Government and Public Affairs Manager 

[email protected]

 

INTRODUCTION

The Open University in Ireland is expert in lifelong learning, and our partnership with employers throughout Northern Ireland positions us to respond to the Department’s “Good Jobs” consultation with a key perspective on how our skills base can be built in a way that ensures accessibility for all while also supporting business growth. Prioritising the growth of a lifelong learning culture in Northern Ireland will be essential to addressing those skill shortages faced by businesses, and encouraging individuals to realise their potential and obtain the “good jobs” in the Minister's vision for our economy.

We have responded to the consultation question booklet from the perspective of The Open University (OU) in Ireland at an operational level. This cover note will supplement our answers in the booklet with The OU in Ireland’s views on the Department’s proposed approach to an Employment Rights Bill as informed by our core principle of changing lives through learning.

OVERVIEW OF OUR POSITION

The OU in Ireland sees a case for an Employment Rights Bill that accounts for the value of flexible distance learning as intrinsically linked to the provision of education and upskilling for Northern Ireland’s workforce. The objective of the Minister’s “good jobs” mission aligns with The OU in Ireland’s work to open lifelong learning opportunities to all people across Northern Ireland. Flexible distance learning enables individuals to realise their potential, address skill gaps and drives local business success and economic growth.

The Minister and Department are aware of the OU’s commitment to address skills gaps, particularly through our Secretariat role on the Assembly All Party Group on Skills. For example, the group is currently focused on skills needed to ensure the recruitment and retention of suitably skilled staff for Northern Ireland's social care sector.

The OU in Ireland’s strong relationships with employers informs how we design professional learning and development solutions through identifying the needs of workers and businesses as our economy transforms.

Overall recommendation: The OU in Ireland encourages the Department to incorporate support for lifelong learning for employees when enhancing the employment law framework. A new approach to employment rights should support the upskilling and reskilling of people throughout their lives and careers, supporting individual career development while also developing skilled workforces for Northern Ireland's employers.

As the consultation relates specifically to the Employment Rights legislation, this note will demonstrate the key role of flexible distance learning in strategic workforce planning. The following pages give a brief response to each thematic issue detailed in the consultation.

THEME A: TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT & THEME B: PAY AND BENEFITS

The OU in Ireland has considered Themes A and B together. Under Theme A, the Department considers methods to tackle insecure work. The consultation specifically considers how individuals understand their terms and conditions of employment and how this impacts employment relationships and individuals. Theme B examines improving an individual’s overall pay and benefits.

Both themes recognise the importance of employees having skills to protect their interests in the workplace and to have routes to improve their working arrangements. When responding to these themes, The OU in Ireland does so while representing the 70% of OU students in Northern Ireland in full-time or part-time employment (in the 2023/24 academic year).

Examples of The OU in Ireland supporting employees in the workplace

Microcredentials: The OU offers innovative microcredentials which are short professional development courses designed to support those already in the workforce to fill skill gaps. Examples of the most popular microcredentials include Agile leadership and management, Cisco: Python programming (Open EDG), and Business Management: project management. 

Industry partnerships: The OU in Ireland works in partnership with key industry bodies and employers including Northern Ireland’s six Health Trusts, ManufacturingNI and NI Chamber of Commerce to support lifelong learning through skills development.

OpenLearn: Through OpenLearn, the OU’s pioneering platform for free learning resources aimed at improving learner self-esteem and confidence, free learning resources and courses support the implicit objective contained with Themes A and B - to increase worker confidence and ability to make good employment decisions and to protecting their interests in terms of pay and benefits. OpenLearn offers hundreds of free courses designed to equip individuals with the skills and confidence needed to thrive in today’s workplace. Examples of courses include Effective communications in the workplace and MSE’s Academy of Money (a collaboration with MoneySavingExpert (MSE) to produce this free course on all the key aspects of personal finance, including understanding how income is taxed).

Recommendation on Themes A and B: The OU in Ireland’s offering is an essential part of the Northern Ireland work landscape as the relationship between education and work does not simply end when an individual leaves school and enters the workforce. A new employment law framework should recognise this by protecting the right to training leave.

THEME C: VOICE AND REPRESENTATION

With Theme C, the Department considers democratic structures in work with a focus on the operation of trade unions. The operation of trade unions aligns with The OU in Ireland’s objective to encourage Northern Ireland’s workforce into learning and skills development.

The OU in Ireland works in partnership with a number of trade unions under a formal partnership with the NI Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Through the partnership, we have created a learning hub on OpenLearn which features free formal and informal learning materials designed to support employability and upskilling for workers.

Recommendation on Theme C: The OU in Ireland would welcome a new employment law framework that supports partnership between employers and trade unions when considering the needs of employees, including a right to lifelong learning opportunities and a need to develop skills for work. A new employment law framework should support an increased uptake in job-related training for employees.

THEME D: WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Under Theme D, the consultation asks for views on policies around flexibility in the workplace to enable a work-life balance for individuals and to remove any barriers to employment. 

The consultation specifically considers carer’s leave, recognising the need for employees.

Part-time students, including those studying with the OU, are more likely to be older and in lower paid jobs, to be female and have caring responsibilities, or a disability. It is therefore unsurprising that OU students often cite the flexibility of OU courses as a reason for their engagement in courses.

The OU student perspective:

“People who I’ve spoken to throughout the last number of years couldn’t quite believe that I was balancing a part-time degree with a full-time job, but I explained that this was the norm for the majority of OU students ... One of the best examples of this was that I seldom had to take holiday for the purpose of finishing an assignment.”

Our answers to the consultation booklet questions D1 – D39 affirm our agreement with the Department’s position around flexible working requests, agreeing to increased support for flexible working arrangements. This position aligns with our own staffing arrangements, and our position as a leader in distance learning for over 50 years, and as the UK’s most popular choice for part-time undergraduates.

In the 2023/24 academic year, 20 per cent of OU students in Northern Ireland declared a disability. Similar to how flexible learning enables inclusivity in our education offerings, flexible working can enable people with disabilities and long-term health issues (including mental health) to remain in the workforce.

In the 2023/24 academic year, 15 per cent of OU students in Northern Ireland were carers. We agree with the Department’s proposition that barriers to employment for those with caring responsibilities need to be addressed. This should include the cross-cutting issue of education access. When committing to supporting carers in employment through new employment rights legislation, the Department should extend this support to carers’ access to learning so that individuals have equal access to build skills to enable them to access good jobs.

The OU student perspective:

“I chose OU mainly because of the flexibility: I had a young child at the time and had to make sure my study could fit around my busy home life.”

Access to flexible education options can support employees with upskilling and reskilling to obtain suitable work. The new employment legislation framework should look at removing barriers to education access when looking at barriers to employment. This will enable more sections of society to access employment.

Recommendation on Theme D: Inclusive supports must be introduced for part-time students including:

  • Maintenance support: Unlike those in full-time education, part-time students do not have access to maintenance grants or maintenance loans. Providing maintenance support is key to overcoming the financial barriers blocking people from accessing higher education to build skills for good jobs.
  • Childcare grants: The Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme introduced in September 2024 is a welcome development in supporting individuals with caring responsibilities to overcome employment barriers. Further support should recognise that individuals with caring responsibilities, including childcare, require support to access relevant education and upskilling opportunities as an essential part of this process to overcome employment barriers. Extending childcare grants, the parental learning allowance and special support grants to part-time students would enable skills development.
  • Flexible student finance options: Student finance options for modular study and for individuals seeking another qualification in a strategic growth area will support the Department’s objective to remove barriers to employment.

CONCLUSION

A fit for purpose employment law framework will prioritise investment in skills to support good jobs and economic growth, accommodating flexible learning opportunities that engage all sections of society. With the right support, individuals across Northern Ireland will be able to access flexible learning opportunities that suit their individual circumstances to facilitate their workforce participation and contribute to the overall health of the economy.