2025 Newry, Mourne and Down Recruitment and Skills Conference Launched

REGISTER to attend this year's NMD Recruitment & Skills Conference which will take place on Wednesday 8 October in The Burrendale Hotel, Newcastle aimed at meeting Newry, Mourne and Down's workforce challenges.

This is the second of two FREE district-wide major conferences over a 12-month period following on from the first highly successful conference in the Canal Court Hotel, Newry last October.

The NMD Recruitment & Skills Conference is organised by Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade in partnership with Newry, Mourne and Down Labour Market Partnership (LMP).

Funded by the Department for Communities, Labour Market Partnerships create targeted employment action plans for council areas, allowing for collaboration at local and regional level to support people towards and into work. 

The conference is also funded by Southern Regional College (SRC), South Eastern Regional College (SERC), Ulster University (UU) and Queen’s University Belfast (QUB).

Addressing recruitment and skills shortages is one of the biggest challenges facing the local business community across the entirety of the district. Businesses, education and training providers and policymakers are encouraged to attend this year’s conference and play a significant role in further shaping and developing a Labour Market Strategy for the District over the next decade and beyond.

The presentations, panel discussions and interactive roundtable discussions will focus on continuing to build on the huge quantity of feedback from businesses, education and training providers and policymakers at last year’s conference and the work that has been done over the last 12 months on the back of that, to develop bespoke solutions to the Workforce Challenge of the next decade and beyond as businesses across every sector of our local economy struggle to recruit and retain staff.

The full line-up of expert speakers for this FREE district-wide full day conference will be announced in the coming days and it will be hosted by MC, Broadcaster and Journalist, Mark Simpson.

Launching this year’s conference, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Philip Campbell said, “Recruitment and skills remain one of the greatest challenges for businesses across Newry, Mourne and Down. Following on from last year’s Skills Conference, supported through NMD Labour Market Partnership, this year’s event brings employers, educators and policymakers together to focus on practical solutions, from creating clearer pathways into careers, to supporting upskilling and embracing diversity in the workplace to ensure high levels of employee retention.”

“By working in partnership with Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade; our two regional colleges, SERC and SRC; Ulster University and Queens University; and our business community, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council can build a stronger, more inclusive economy that gives our citizens the opportunities they deserve and helps our businesses thrive. I look forward to seeing local employers from across the District at the Skills Conference on 8th October in The Burrendale Hotel, Newcastle.”

Edwina Flynn, President of Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade said, “Meeting the Workforce Challenges of this area is one of the core strategic pillars of the Chamber and we are delighted to be organising this Conference on a District-wide basis with the NMD LMP, our regional colleges, SRC and SERC and our universities, Ulster University and Queen’s University.”

“Following on from last year’s highly successful conference, it was clear that there is a strong appetite for collaboration in devising a strategy that supports businesses to attract and retain staff and also provides opportunities for those seeking career opportunities, particularly our young people and those who have been economically inactive and want to take their place in the District’s workforce and build a career here in this region.”

“It is important that businesses and everyone with a stake in this issue from Saintfield to Culloville attends the event in Newcastle to ensure that the solutions we come up with are reflective of the issues across the whole district. We look forward to welcoming everyone from across the District to Newcastle on the 8 October.”

Book your free place for the conference: www.newrychamber.com