Economy Minister Diane Dodds has praised the work of the Irish Football Association in helping build the skills base of the local community.
The Minister met with community outreach staff from the IFA and heard about the work of the IFA Foundation, which has helped thousands of young people acquire a range of accredited qualifications since it was established in 2017.
The Minister said:
“The IFA Foundation does excellent work in the local community building the skills base of young people. The Foundation helps young people attain vocational qualifications that not only make them more employable, but also boost their confidence and desire to potentially go on and study for more qualifications in future.
“This in turn embeds a culture of lifelong learning in young people. I know the IFA Foundation is keen to further build on their work by introducing apprenticeships and they have begun engaging with my Department to explore how this might be achieved.”
Keith Gibson, Acting Director of the Irish FA Foundation, said:
“We were delighted to be able to welcome Minister Dodds to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park to discuss our employability programmes.
“We also talked about our vision for engaging young people, including the possibility of introducing apprenticeships at the Irish Football Association.”
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