Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Diana Armstrong MLA has hit out at the Department for the Economy after it was revealed that nearly £1 million has been spent on the mothballed Careers Portal Project.

A response to an Assembly Question posed to Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald revealed that since the Careers Portal Project commenced, approximately £889,000 in total expenditure has been incurred.

Diana Armstrong commented:

“The failure by the Department for the Economy to deliver the Careers Portal Project has been made all the more profound following the Minister’s admission that nearly £1 million has been spent on it so far, with nothing yet delivered for the public.

“This project had been much heralded as a single, unified hub for career advice and labour market guidance, providing real assistance to people across Northern Ireland looking for employment opportunities or guidance on what educational path they should take. At a time when employers continue to report skills shortages and many young people are seeking clear pathways into education, training and employment, it is deeply disappointing that a project intended to support those objectives has failed to progress beyond the development stage.

“What makes this worse is that the portal was not a side project. It was one of the four central commitments in the Careers Action Plan the Minister launched with the Education Minister in June last year, which she described as the first of its kind in more than a decade. That plan runs to 2028. One of its four pillars has already stalled.

“The Department now describes the project as being in a period of hibernation, due to the absence of confirmed funding for 2026/27 and beyond. Most people would call that stopped. Hibernation implies something wakes up in the spring, and there is nothing in this answer to suggest that it will.

“When the project was formally paused in May 2026, it was stated that alternative funding options would be explored. To date, no further clarity has been provided. The Department also indicated that a decision would be taken on whether the project should continue or close, and the Minister needs to tell us which it is to be.

“The Minister should provide far greater transparency about what tangible benefits have been delivered from this expenditure, and whether any of the work completed can still be used. The public deserve assurance that money already spent will not be wasted, regardless of any future decision on the Careers Portal.”