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Breaking Barriers: New North South ESTEEM Project Aims to Transform Education and Skills Mobility Across Ireland
This significant project - supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) – will be led by Atlantic Technological University, in partnership with Ulster University, North West Regional College, and Donegal Education and Training Board, in conjunction with the pre- eminent authority on cross-border policy and regulation, the Centre for Cross-border Cooperation (CCBC).
This significant project – supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) – will be led by Atlantic Technological University, in partnership with Ulster University, North West Regional College, and Donegal Education and Training Board, in conjunction with the pre- eminent authority on cross-border policy and regulation, the Centre for Cross-border Cooperation (CCBC).
For decades, students and skilled workers on the island of Ireland have faced invisible borders—barriers created not by geography, but by systems. Different qualification frameworks, contrasting accreditation processes, and diverging regulations have made it difficult for learners and professionals to move freely between North and South. Now, a landmark initiative is set to change that.
The North South ESTEEM Project—short for Education, Skills & Training: Empowering Economic Mobility—is a bold new collaboration led by Atlantic Technological University (ATU), working alongside Ulster University, North West Regional College, and Donegal Education and Training Board, with policy expertise from the Centre for Cross-border Cooperation (CCBC). Running from April 2025 to June 2029, the project aims to create a seamless pathway for education and employment across the island.
At its heart, ESTEEM is about opportunity. It promises to give students clear, accessible information on cross-border study options and to tackle the systemic issues that have kept mobility levels low. For skilled workers, it will address accreditation gaps and propose reforms to licensing and regulation, making it easier to work across jurisdictions. Brexit and the Windsor Framework have added urgency to this work, as further divergence in rules could deepen existing challenges.
The project will deliver three interconnected strands: improving student mobility, boosting employment skills portability, and developing a research-based strategy to align education and skills systems with the needs of an all-island economy. Pilot studies will test practical solutions, while policy recommendations will aim to make mobility simpler and fairer.
Obstacles to mobility have long reduced the availability of talent, limited the return on public investment in education, and constrained economic growth. By breaking down these barriers, North South ESTEEM hopes to create a richer, more connected skills environment—one that empowers learners, strengthens industry, and drives prosperity across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Paul Hannigan, VP for Cross Border Engagement at ATU acknowledging the funding from the SEUPB for this important initiative said, “The PEACEPLUS funding for the North South ESTEEM Project reflects a confidence in the North West Tertiary Education Cluster’s ability to tackle the real, practical challenges that have limited mobility across our border region. By breaking down barriers in education, skills, and workforce recognition, we’re not only creating new opportunities for learners and workers but laying the groundwork for greater economic prosperity and stronger cross-border collaboration.”
Professor Malachy Ó Néill, Director of Regional Engagement, Ulster University, said: “Ulster University is delighted to be a partner of the NS ESTEEM project. The significant investment from the PEACEPLUS Programme directly supports our Regional commitment in creating opportunities for all that will, in turn, help transform lives. Working alongside our Economic Policy Centre, we want to drive innovation, investment and access to opportunity on both sides of the border. We look forward to supporting the outputs of this project”
Leo Murphy, Principal & Chief Executive, North West Regional College (NWRC) added, “North West Regional College is delighted to welcome the success of the North South ESTEEM project, led by NWTEC and Atlantic Technological University with Ulster University, North West Regional College, Donegal ETB, and the Centre for Cross-Border Cooperation. This partnership will equip learners with clear, current information on tertiary and skills pathways and address the systemic barriers that have limited cross-border study and skilled workforce mobility. Grounded in robust research and practical measures, ESTEEM will enhance mobility and opportunity across our regional economy”
Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB) Chief Executive Anne McHugh said, “Donegal ETB’s mission is to offer education and training opportunities that helps students to achieve their full potential and to contribute to the social, cultural and economic life of their communities. As a border county, this initiative, with our North West Tertiary Education Cluster (NWTEC) partners, which aims to create a seamless pathway for education and employment across the island, supports us in this mission. We are hugely grateful to have PEACEPLUS funding this work and to be supported by the Centre for Cross Border Cooperation.”
The Director of the Centre for Cross Border Cooperation, Dr Anthony Soares, said: “The Centre is delighted to be involved in a project that will make a significant contribution to ensuring we grasp the opportunities that can be brought about through cross-border collaboration. By removing barriers to cross-border mobility and through sustained cross-border collaboration between the partners and stakeholders, the North South ESTEEM project will help the island of Ireland to grow and retain talent in support of a dynamic economy”.
SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said: “North South ESTEEM is a project funded through the Strategic Planning and Engagement Programme Investment Area of PEACEPLUS that demonstrates the importance of collaboration in key areas that will benefit citizens across the island of Ireland. It will demonstrate how we can find impactful solutions to challenges that exist on both sides of the border.”
Aidan Haughey
Communications Manager
Tel: +353 87 961 8355
