Minister for the Economy praises NWRC during Springtown campus visit in Derry
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has visited North West Regional College (NWRC) to see first-hand how it is responding to the changing needs of the local economy.
During the recent visit to NWRC’s Springtown Campus, the Minister met the senior leadership team as well as staff from the college’s Business Support Centre, who were recently awarded the 2025 Queen Elizabeth prize for Education in London.
Leo Murphy, Principal and Chief Executive of NWRC said: “I would like to thank the Minister for her time spent visiting our staff and students at Springtown campus, and for allowing us the opportunity to showcase the college’s work to support skills and employment in the region.
“We are proud of the track record of our award-winning college supporting our students, employers, businesses and the local community.
“And being awarded the Queen Elizabeth Award for Education recognises the significant impact our sector makes on the lives of our citizens and businesses.”
Speaking about the visit, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: “NWRC is a tremendous asset to the local economy and community. I’m delighted that the excellent work of staff and students has been recognised with this prestigious award and I look forward to seeing further success in the future.”
“NWRC Springtown is home to the highest quality, industry-standard training facilities, for ‘in demand’ skills across Northern Ireland”, a spokesperson for the college stated.
In 2022, Springtown Campus underwent a multi-million-pound refurbishment as part of a wider £10.8m Estates Improvement Programme across NWRC, fully funded by the Department for the Economy.
This saw the campus transformed with new workshops for each vocational area, all fitted with the latest technology and equipment to provide an enhanced learner experience.
Other developments include a state-of-the-art ‘industry 4.0’ Centre, new Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology in both Engineering and Construction; Robotic Welding Capability, Electric Vehicle Training Rigs and Charging Stations, Electrical Testing and Inspection Rigs, and much more.
And in the past month, participants on the 5th Assured Skills Academy in Electrical Switchgear with NWRC and Vertiv completed their course; fully funded by the Department for the Economy NI.