Economy Minister hails Derry's NWRC Springtown as "tremendous asset"

PICTURED ABOVE: Patrick McKeown, Finance Director, NWRC, Malachy O’Neill, Chair of Governing Body, NWRC, Leo Murphy, Chief Executive and Principal, NWRC, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, Minister for the Economy, Caoimhe McLoone, student, Ciara Tease, student, and Gillian Moss, Head of Client Services at NWRC. (Photo: Martin McKeown)

Northern Ireland’s Minister for the Economy Dr Caoimhe Archibald has spent the afternoon in Derry at North West Regional College (NWRC) to see firsthand how it is responding to the changing needs of the local economy.

During the visit to the college’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 prestigious 2025 Queen Elizabeth prize for Education in London, recognising their outstanding work in business support. 

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.

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“And being awarded the Queen Elizabeth Award for Education recognises the significant impact our sector makes on the lives of our citizens and businesses.”

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. They include: Electrical Installation, Fabrication and Welding, Mechanical Engineering, Motor Vehicle Repair, Light Vehicle Body Repair, Plumbing, Carpentry & Joinery, Brickwork, Wall and Floor Tiling, Painting and Decorating, and Renewables.

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, fitted with the latest technology and equipment that 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. This course was fully funded by the Department for the Economy NI.