NEWS

Mr Stephen Black One of Northern Ireland’s best-known school principals is set to leave his post at Ballymena Academy later this year after accepting a new position within the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). Mr Stephen Black will step down as Principal of Ballymena Academy on 31 August 2026, bringing to an end a 12-year leadership period which saw the school maintain strong academic performance while further developing its sporting and co-curricular reputation. The announc

More than 650 schools and pre-school settings across Northern Ireland are now involved in Shared Education partnerships — yet the number of children actually taking part has fallen by more than 9,000, according to a major new report laid before the Assembly. The fifth statutory report on Advancing Shared Education, published today (Monday 11 May) by Education Minister Paul Givan, reveals a striking contradiction at the heart of Northern Ireland’s shared learning strategy: par

Launching the Mid and East Antrim Construction and Scaffolding Academy are: (l-r) Amanda Crossen, Project Manager at CITBNI); Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford; Charlene Earley from Workforce Training) and Steven Douglas of 7 Towers Scaffolding. A new Construction and Scaffolding Academy aimed at helping local people into employment has opened for applications across Mid and East Antrim, offering participants industry-recognised qualifications, practic

Gordon Cruikshanks, Regional Managing Director at Lidl Northern Ireland. Lidl Northern Ireland has announced a second major pay increase for staff in 2026, investing a further £756,000 into wages for frontline workers and Deputy Store Managers across its Northern Ireland operations. The latest increase, which came into effect on 1 May, will see hourly-paid colleagues earn at least £13.30 per hour — comfortably above the UK National Living Wage of £12.71 — while Deputy Store M

Students from Sead the Season at Cullybackey College celebrating being named ‘Company of the Year’ at the annual Young Enterprise NI Awards held in Belfast City Hall. Students from Cullybackey College have secured one of Northern Ireland’s top young enterprise honours after their student-run business was crowned ‘Company of the Year’ at a major awards ceremony in Belfast. The team behind Seed the Season impressed judges with a sustainability-focused business supplying seasona

From left participant Jacqueline Dickson with Hayley Barr Labour Market Partnership, participant Denise Harris, Annie McSparron, CEO Kelli McRoberts, Denise Mayo Labour Market Partnership, Paul Truscott General Manager Harbourview Hotel Ten people across Mid and East Antrim have completed a targeted hospitality training programme, collectively securing 24 accredited qualifications as efforts intensify to tackle unemployment and skills shortages in one of Northern Ireland’s fa

Rail Cool Rules! Translink has joined forces with Rail Safe Friendly, an accredited UK-wide programme, to spread the vital message of rail safety in Northern Ireland. Pictured at the partnership launch are (L-R) Abigail, Luke and Izabel from Oakwood Integrated Primary School with Chris Conway, Translink Group Chief Executive and Kathryn Ogdin, Director of Operations, Rail Safe Friendly. A new rail safety campaign aimed at Primary 7 pupils has been launched across Northern Ire

Thousands of students, apprentices and young people across the UK are set to regain access to study and work opportunities across Europe after the government formally agreed to rejoin the Erasmus+ programme from 2027. The legal text confirming the UK’s return was signed in Brussels on April 15, marking a major shift in post-Brexit relations and reopening one of Europe’s most established education and exchange schemes to UK participants. More than 100,000 people are expected t

Zak Moore and Jack Strange, Sauna Masters at Galgorm, who were crowned Team Performance Champions at the 2026 UK Aufguss Championships, hosted at Galgorm’s Thermal Spa Village A standout double success for a Ballymena-based spa team has put Northern Ireland firmly on the international wellness map, after two Galgorm Sauna Masters claimed top honours at the 2026 UK Aufguss Championships on home soil. Zak Moore and Jack Strange were crowned Team Performance Champions following

Young people across the UK are facing mounting pressure ahead of GCSE and A-Level exams, with new figures revealing the scale of stress being carried into exam season. Childline delivered 1,679 counselling sessions linked to exam and revision stress between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, highlighting a sustained demand for support as students struggle to cope with expectations, workload and anxiety. The figures show a sharp peak in May, coinciding with the start of exams, wh

Action for Children staff Rosie Moore, Lorna Ballard and Franci Simpson with Jon Burrows MLA A North Antrim MLA has praised the “real difference” being made by a local early years service after seeing its impact first-hand during a visit to Ballymena. Jon Burrows visited Ballymena and Little Steps Antrim Sure Start on Doury Road on Friday, 1 May, where he met staff, parents and young children benefiting from the programme. The service, which operates across three sites in the

Martin Cleary (Rossnowlagh) and Cian Kirwan (Letterkenny) chatted to horticulture Lecturer, Caitriona McCrudden about pathways in horticulture. Prospective students were recently given a hands-on look at future career opportunities in horticulture and floristry as the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) opened its doors at Greenmount Campus in Antrim. The open day offered an in-depth insight into the wide range of study pathways available, with staff wel

(L-R) Kiran Minhas, Principal Katy Lynas Craig and Clare McGall A Ballymena nursery school has become the first in Northern Ireland to receive the highest level of recognition for its approach to children’s emotional wellbeing, marking a significant milestone in early years education across the region. Ballymena Integrated Nursery School has been awarded ‘gold standard’ Togetherness school accreditation — the top tier of a UK-wide scheme led by NHS-backed emotional health exp

A major all-island study has revealed that vast numbers of teachers across Northern Ireland are experiencing serious work-related burnout, with nearly half now considering leaving the profession — raising fresh concerns about the sustainability of the education system. New research from Dublin City University’s Centre for Collaborative Research Across Teacher Education, carried out in partnership with St Mary’s University College Belfast, found that 91% of teachers surveyed a

SDLP MLA for East Londonderry Cara Hunter Growing cross-sector backlash as Children’s Law Centre and 14 organisations raise concerns over impact on vulnerable pupils, schools and families Mounting opposition to proposed special educational needs (SEN) reforms has intensified, with SDLP MLA Cara Hunter calling on the Education Minister to immediately halt the plans amid warnings they could place already overstretched schools under further strain and negatively impact vulnerabl

Parents across Northern Ireland are being urged to take early action as exam pressure begins to build, with a leading children’s charity warning that stress during revision season can have a “profound impact” on young people’s wellbeing. With exam season fast approaching, Action for Children is highlighting growing concerns around the emotional and physical toll on children, while promoting its free online Parent Talk service to help families navigate the weeks ahead. Rising

Award winner is Mark McGuire, Lidl’s Supply Chain Analyst at Nutt's Corner RDC. A Lidl employee based at the company’s Nutts Corner Regional Distribution Centre has been recognised as one of the top performers across the island of Ireland, after securing a major national award celebrating inclusion and workplace culture. Mark McGuire, a Supply Chain Analyst, was named one of just six top award winners at Lidl’s 2026 National Achievement Awards, standing out among more than 6

Families across the UK are being financially penalised when teenagers choose apprenticeships over staying in school, with some households losing more than £330 per week due to the way the benefits system operates, a new report has found. The findings, published by the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC), highlight a stark imbalance in post-16 education choices, where families can be left worse off if a young person enters work-based training instead of remaining in full

The winning team from the Rotary Club Generation Chef competition, are pictured with, from left, Georgie Briota, Business Development Manager at Galgorm Collection, Iris Houston, General Manager, Adair Arms Hotel, Gary Stewart, Judge and Chef Tartine of Distillers Arms, Chad Shaw, Northern Ireland Hospitality School, Samantha Wade, Quinn Merrigan, Northern Ireland Hospitality School, Eddie McGarvey, Judge and Chef at Salt House, Debbie Chestnutt, President of Ballymena Rotary

19-year-old Jamie Matthews from Antrim has been selected to represent the UK at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 A 19-year-old apprentice from Antrim is set to compete on one of the world’s biggest stages for vocational talent after being selected to represent the UK at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 — a global contest where elite young professionals go head-to-head in high-pressure, precision-based challenges. Jamie Matthews, who is training with Mivan and studying a Level 3 Apprentice