Council Focuses on Competitiveness Challenges in Meeting With Northern Ireland Delegation

On Thursday, the U.S. Council on Competitiveness hosted a delegation from Northern Ireland, including Employment Minister Sir Reg Empey, to discuss their respective competitiveness challenges.

After the meeting, the Northern Ireland Department of Employment and Learning issued the following press release.

Global competiveness will come from private sector - Empey

18 March 2010

Employment Minister, Sir Reg Empey, today heard how government, business, universities and unions work together in the US to stimulate innovation and increase competitiveness.

On the penultimate day of his visit to Washington, the Minister met with Deborah Wince-Smith, President of the Council on Competitiveness, to discuss the importance that the private sector plays in shaping our economy.  

The Minister said: “The Council on Competitiveness plays a significant role in the US in helping the private sector shape the innovation agenda.  There is no doubt that, if Northern Ireland is to grow a dynamic, innovative economy, we must also revitalise our private sector as it is there that the enterprise, vision and innovation will be found to make us globally competitive.

“I also discussed with Ms Wince-Smith how effective the 2007 America COMPETES Act, which was signed into law by President Bush, has been in promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects.  One of the key messages from the Northern Ireland Report of the STEM Review, which was published in 2009, was that business must take the lead in establishing STEM as the centre of a global innovative economy.  We are keen to learn from our American colleagues how we can further encourage Northern Ireland businesses to come to the fore in revitalising the role of STEM in promoting competitiveness and innovation.”

The Council on Competitiveness was founded in 1986 during a time when the US was facing its most dire economic challenges since the end of World War II. Its aim was to create a forum to promote the importance of national competitiveness and ensure US prosperity.  After two decades, the Council continues to set an action agenda to drive US productivity and leadership in world markets and aims raise the standard of living for all Americans.

Sir Reg concluded: “I was struck by the sense of determination and teamwork seen in the Council on Competitiveness.  Northern Ireland needs a similar sense of determination and teamwork if we are to take the steps required to produce the culture and workforce that will allow us to innovate and compete globally.”