From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
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Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris has today announced funding for a project at the College of Further Education and Training Scariff Campus in Scariff in County Clare.
The funding will support Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board adding a purpose-built extension to the College of FET campus.
This project falls under the next tranche of capital investment under the Further Education and Training (FET) Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund.
Speaking today in Scariff, Minister Harris said:
“This investment is of huge importance and will benefit those learners who are to come through the door in the coming years.
“The funding I am announcing today is going to expand and add the number of courses available here in Construction and Engineering. These courses and their availability are crucial as they will help to meet the skills and lifelong learning demands locally and nationally.
“As Minister for Further and Higher Education I am deeply committed to investment across the country in facilities like these. These facilities, the staff and the learners here today underpin the national strategy in facilitating the development of the most agile and most highly skilled workers of the next generation.
“This purpose-built extension will facilitate integrated FET learning on one Campus, enhancing the crucial role our Further Education Institutions play in supporting an inclusive and progressive society which serves the needs of everyone in society."
Minister Harris added:
“I want to pay tribute to Limerick and Clare ETB for their innovative and forwarding thinking, and having the learner at the heart of all that they do. This investment announced today demonstrates their ongoing commitment to strengthening FET provision in Scariff and surrounding regions."
Funding for this project will be provided through SOLAS to Limerick and Clare ETB. The project announced today will now move forward to the appointment of a design team, with a view to development of a more detailed project brief in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
Chief Executive of SOLAS, Andrew Brownlee, said:
“Today’s announcement of capital investment in the College of Further Education and Training Scariff Campus in Drewsborough is a significant development for learners and communities in the Clare region, but also an important milestone in the evolution of FET facilities and provision nationwide.
“A warm congratulations to my colleagues in Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, and to all of the potential learners in Clare and the surrounding areas.”
Chief Executive of Limerick and Clare ETB, George O’Callaghan, said:
“We are delighted to welcome the Minister to East Clare today. The ETB very much welcomes the significant planned investment by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science through SOLAS in the Further Education and Training facilities in Scariff that are in need of update.
"The announcement aligns with the ETB’s FET Strategic Framework priority of ensuring FET facilities provide the best learning and working environments that reflect quality and industry standards, and promote innovation and sustainability."