Up to 5,000 students are expected to be catered for at the new Further Education and Training College in Kilkenny.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donovan was in the city last evening to announce the purchase of a 15-acre site at Joinersfolly, just off the Ring Road, and also the approval to proceed to project design and planning stage. (Read the official announcement here).
The facility will see all of the provisions of the Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board at one campus.
In welcoming the Minister’s announcement, Cllr. Andrea Dalton, Chairperson of KCETB said, “This is a great day for KCETB and the delivery of this project for the region has been the ambition of the executive team and the board over the past number of years. I extend warm congratulations to the executive team and all the staff for their work on the project to date and believe that this college when built will bring enormous benefits for students throughout the ETB area and beyond.”
KCETB Chief Executive, Eileen Curtis said, “Today’s announcement is wonderful news for KCETB and, in particular today for Kilkenny city and county and marks an important step forward in the delivery of the college campus. The proposed new integrated FET college has been a key strategic priority for KCETB and will transform the learning opportunities available across our communities. It will provide for the future skills needs of local industries and create a talent pipeline of graduates available to live and work in Kilkenny. Today’s announcement is a real vote of confidence in the area and it will ensure that Kilkenny with this new campus can provide a growing range of specialist courses and apprenticeships which will have long lasting benefits for the KCETB area.”
Director of Further Education and Training (FET) for KCETB, Martha Bolger expressed her delight at the announcement also and said, “The entire FET staff are thrilled at the positive news delivered today by Minister Patrick O’Donovan and we are enormously pleased that the FET College proposal can now move to the design and planning stage. It has been our vision for some time to deliver a FET college for KCETB to build on the good work of staff over many years and this project will transform the landscape for FET in the region. We look forward to working with DFHERIS and SOLAS to move the project forward and deliver for our learners in the county and the region.”
The KCETB FET Service works with 16,000 learners annually across a range of full-time and part-time programmes from Levels 1to 7 on the National Framework of Qualifications and is the largest provider of education and training across the counties of Kilkenny and Carlow. Currently KCETBs provision is spread across 15 locations in the city and today’s announcement will mean
that in the future they can be integrated into one flagship campus. The state-of-the-art facility will offer a full range of courses, including apprenticeships with supports for students and links with industry. It will deliver real opportunities for students to learn in Kilkenny and create pathways to further study at university, in SETU, thus keeping students in the region.
Looking ahead, Eileen Curtis added, we are delighted to have been selected as one of the locations across the country for the Further Education and Training College of the Future and we very much look forward to working in partnership with SOLAS, DFHERIS and our local partners as we move to the next stage of this exciting project. The local support from Kilkenny Co. Co., the South East Regional Skills Forum and others has been instrumental in advancing this project also.”
For many years there has been a call for a third level facility to be established in Kilkenny and today’s announcement recognises that need and will create opportunities for strong alliances with SETU into the future. It will also enable a larger proportion of school leavers to choose the further education and training option locally first and then move on to other higher education and training opportunities. It will also promote and support innovation and research with industry and is in line with government policy which strongly supports regional development.
The KCLR Daily has been hearing from Minister O’Donovan and also KCETB Chair, Cllr Andrea Dalton;
Meanwhile, Minister of State and Carlow Kilkenny Green TD Malcolm Noonan has told KCLR News now is the time to improve the infrastructure and transport options in the area;
