NI Chamber’s 2025 Future Workforce Summit has been curated to help shape a future-ready skills landscape in Northern Ireland. Taking place on Thursday 16 October at Dunadry Hotel in Antrim, the summit will bring together leaders from business, education and government to explore how Northern Ireland can build the pipeline of skills needed for a rapidly changing economy.
Delivered in partnership with headline sponsor NIE Networks and supporting sponsors EY, Further Education NI and Work+, the event will examine the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing employers, from addressing skills shortages and attracting talent, to embedding lifelong learning and digital capability across the workforce.
Keynote speakers will include Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald, the Chair of Skills England, Phil Smith and the Chair of Ireland’s National Skills Council, Dr Kevin Marshall, as well as Gareth Heatherington, Director of Ulster University’s Economic Policy Centre and Paul Gillen, a Partner in the Employment, Immigration and Reward team at Lewis Silkin.
In addition to breakout workshops, a panel session on pathways to employment will explore ways to strengthen vocational routes and connect people to work through mentoring, skills and AI Adoption. A second panel focusing on upskilling and reskilling will seek to identify how employers, educators, and policymakers can align to meet evolving business needs.
Attendance is free for NI Chamber members. For full details or to reserve a place, visit northernirelandchamber.com.