I should like to thank the Chair sincerely for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment and I am aware that many requests were made to raise other matters. I am anxious to make a case for the establishment of a regional technical college in Wexford. To prove my case it is important to review the history and development of regional technical colleges. In 1966 a steering committee on technical education was established to advise the Minister on the needs for technical education at third level. As a result of that eight colleges were established around the country and in 1970 one was erected in Waterford and another in Carlow. So great was the demand for places at those colleges that major extensions were provided in later years. It is interesting to note that with the big participation of County Wexford students at those RTCs, extensions were granted to Waterford in 1977 and Carlow in 1981. In the Waterford college, although provision for an extension for 500 extra places was approved, the demand for places in the 1980-81 session was so great that the board of management considered renting classroom accommodation in the local military barracks, conditions which were totally unsuitable for students, were opposed by the local students union but were necessary to cater for the uncontrollable growth in demand for enrolment.
In 1971 the HEA was established to advise the Minister in terms of a continuous review and monitoring of the needs and numbers for third-level technical education and to make recommendations to the Minister. I am anxious to stress that because of the comments I shall make later on the findings of Dr. Clancy of UCD. It is also important to give a factual analysis of the situation. I should like to outline to the House details of a report carried out by the South East Regional Development Organisation in 1980. In terms of population that report shows that County Wexford, with 26 per cent of the population of that region, had the largest population of all counties. In 1971 it had a population of 86,000, in 1979 it was 96,000 and the projected figure for 1986 is 105,900. That means that County Wexford will have 26.34 per cent of the population of the south east region. Waterford, where there is a regional technical college, has 24 per cent of the population, while for Carlow the projected population is 10 per cent. How is it that Carlow can get a regional technical college with 10 per cent of the population of the region, while Wexford, with 26 per cent of the population, does not have one?
It is important to consider the numbers in education. The number of students sitting for the leaving certificate between 1970 and 1980, trebled, resulting in 8,000 being in post-primary education in County Wexford. It is also projected that with a 20 per cent participation rate in third-level education we would need 230 places per year for County Wexford students alone. That shows the overwhelming need for a third-level institution in County Wexford to cater for this phenomenal growth.
If we look at industrial expansion, the need for industrial development and how a regional technical college would benefit we see that there are startling unemployment figures. We have 17 per cent, over 6,000 people unemployed. In 1977 the figure was 3,698 so we can see there is a tremendous increase. When we look at the net figure for industrial manufacturing employment we see that there was a net loss between 1977 and 1983. There are very few areas which can show such depressing figures.
If we again compare Carlow, Waterford and Wexford in terms of unemployment, where Carlow has an RTC, 10.9 per cent of the working population are employed in manufacturing industry. The figure for Waterford is 10.4 per cent but in Wexford, down at the bottom of the table again, without an RTC, the figure is 5.1 per cent. To put that in simple terms, 1 per cent extra of an industrial base would mean 1,000 jobs. It can be seen we have not had much industrial development. This can be directly attributed to the fact that we have not had the type of attraction to come to Wexford in terms of industrial development and investment because we have not had the ancillary back-up. It is not because the land was not provided. Land banks were provided. In Enniscorthy 45 acres were provided plus the Edermine site, 45 acres in Wexford, and there has been a substantial investment in services and in land. That could not be given as the reason for such a low industrial base. When we look at the reality of industrial development we are only competing for light, open-type industry, which can be located anywhere.
If we had an RTC we could attract an electronics industry, pharmaceutical industries, health care industries and many other types that are related to a high technology need. It has been well established by now that industrialists are looking for a skilled work force and mature school leavers with an advanced educational background. We cannot provide this in Wexford without a regional technical college. It is also of significance that since July 1979 there has not been one large foreign-based industry established in County Wexford. The figures, in terms of industrial development, speak for themselves.
It is important that people have the opportunity to seek a livelihood in their own county and in their own region. When we look at the need for adult and community education we see that in 1981 3,244 people enrolled for part-time adult education courses under the town and County Wexford VECs. The type of courses provided here cannot cater for the needs of the redundant person's professionally orientated courses for jobs. There is no doubt, in relation to accommodation, that in the south east we can cater for the back-up ancillary services needed for the establishment of an RTC on the basis that we are a tourist county and we will not have any problem with accommodation. There is no particular preference in relation to the site. Wexford, Enniscorthy, New Ross or Gorey would be extremely suitable as far as the county is concerned.
I wish to return briefly to Dr. Patrick Clancy, a lecturer in sociology in UCD. A survey called Participation in Higher Education, a national survey by Dr. Clancy said that the growth in RTCs and technical education was phenomenal. When we look at a subdivision of the participation of third level education we see that 50 per cent were in RTCs compared with 40 per cent in universities. The White Paper of December 1980 envisaged that by 1990 there would be 51,000 full-time third level educational posts. We have already reached 42,000 and this has been grossly underestimated.
