North West Tertiary Education Cluster Conferences
Smart North West Conference - A Region of Opportunities
The inaugural conference of the North West Tertiary Education Cluster was held on the 7th October 2022 at the Atlantic Technological University. The conference provided a platform to profile best practice on how to grow a cross-border region, build a talent pipeline through collaboration in tertiary education, and support and attract talent and enterprise to the region. The conference provided a platform to showcase the collaboration in place in the unique model that is the North West City Region.
Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Science and innovation joined the conference to show his support for the initiative and delegates heard directly from Industry representatives about the key factors that influenced them to do business in the North West.
Future North West Conference in collaboration with the Centre for Cross Border Studies
The 2024 conference was themed around the Future North West and had a strong enterprise focus. The conference was delivered at Ulster University, Derry~Londonderry in collaboration with the Centre for Cross Border Studies as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations.
The conference was addressed by the ministers in both jurisdictions with responsibility for higher education, Mr Conor Murphy MLA, Economy Minister and Mr Patrick O Donovan TD, Minister for Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
The keynote address was delivered by Mr Danny McCoy, CEO of Ibec; Danny was previously a senior economist at both the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Central Bank of Ireland in Dublin. The conference saw a host of engaging and inspiring speakers who took the opportunity to explore the cutting edge innovations and trends shaping the North West City Region.
North West Digital Employment Pathways Training Hub (NW DEPTH)
The official launch of the NW DEPTH initiative took place at the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) campus in Letterkenny today (April 29th).
This project – supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) – will be led by Atlantic Technological University in partnership with Ulster University, North West Regional College, and Donegal Education and Training Board via their well-established strategic collaboration, the North West Tertiary Education Cluster (NWTEC).
NW DEPTH will run for four years, with the first cohort of learners being recruited for September 2025, and will see an investment of nearly €10 million in digital skills in the North West region. An innovative portfolio of upskilling and reskilling training courses in digital and cybersecurity skills will be delivered to over 2,000 individuals.