CAREERS:COURSES

Northern Ireland arguably has a better educational system than any other part of the UK. 21 per cent of secondary school students go on to higher education (compared to 13 per cent on the mainland), 12 per cent get three or more ‘A’‐levels (9 per cent), whilst the teacher/pupil ratio in secondary schools is typically 15 to 1. 25–30 per cent of children pass the 11‐plus exam still retained in a traditional educational system. There are two universities and a number of other institutions, catering for 19,000 full and part‐time students. There is a genuine emphasis on technical education, with 650 computing and engineering students graduating each year, and a real commitment to industry is endemic in the system. Queen's University, Belfast runs its own limited company to market its skills to industry, and operates an Automation Centre devoted entirely to working with industry in manufacturing technologies. It administers a £600,000 budget and, with the help of the Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland, operates an advisory service to industry which handles 60 enquiries a year. Queen's also runs the Wolfson Unit which conducts research in electronics, while the University of Ulster — which has campuses in Belfast and in Coleraine near the north coast — maintains an Industrial Unit which operates in fields including computing, microbiology, chemistry, food technology, and management skills.