Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 February 2023
56. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way he envisages the Killybegs Tourism College developing as a campus of the Atlantic Technological University, if he has any discussions with the Atlantic Technological University around same, if he has received funding applications in relation to the further development of the campus and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7272/23]
View answerThis question concerns the Killybegs Tourism College campus of the Atlantic Technological University, ATU, the Minister's thoughts on its potential to develop within the overall remit of ATU, and whether any funding application has been made specifically in respect of that.
I acknowledge that this is an issue that Deputy Pringle raised with me on a regular basis and that the Killybegs campus is important to him and his community. I expect to be in a position to establish very shortly a regional campus support fund. There are a number of campuses that the Deputy and I believe are integral to regional and local access to third-level institutions. I would consider Killybegs to be very much in that category. To be frank, sometimes they can cost a bit more to run but there is a public good in them continuing to be there and we want to do that. We have been doing it but we have been doing it in an ad hoc manner in terms of sustainability. It would be better to get to a place where we just knew there was an annual regional campus support fund that certain institutions could draw down from and almost be guaranteed funding from. I expect to be in a position to make an announcement on that in the next couple of weeks. Without pre-empting it, I would be surprised if Killybegs is not in a position to benefit.
ATU Killybegs campus plays an important part in delivering on ATU's educational and innovation mission in Donegal and the region. It has played a particularly critical role in providing skills for the tourism sector and I understand from an update from ATU that there are plans to develop its contribution to the food science discipline within ATU.
The campus also plays a critical role in the wider economic development of Killybegs and its wider region. This is the core of the mission of technological universities in general. The Enterprise Ireland-funded Killybegs marine cluster has made significant progress since its establishment two years ago. There is significant potential for the cluster to further support the development of these marine industries with particular opportunities in the emerging wind and hydrogen sectors off the north-west coast of Ireland. ATU sees this as an area of major potential in the years ahead and one that will engage the entire university's capacities across education and training, research and enterprise development. The campus in Killybegs is regarded by ATU and my Department as a significant enabler to achieve this in partnership with local industry, Enterprise Ireland, the Western Development Commission and other stakeholders.
I am also aware that ATU is working closely with a range of partners to contribute to the development of Killybegs town and harbour. A key area of engagement is the Ocean Innovation Centre and I know that the university is working with Donegal County Council on plans for the refurbishment of Island House, which will become a digital hub and tourist office.
What the Minister said about the regional campus support fund is very welcome. Hopefully, Killybegs will be in a position to avail of that because it is very significant and very significant for smaller campuses. One of the problems in Killybegs over the years was trying to attract funding as a very small part of Letterkenny Institute of Technology but it is a more integral part of ATU, which is very important. That regional campus support fund will be a very useful and welcome development. I appreciate that.
As the Minister outlined, it is true that Killybegs has a tradition in culinary arts, has done very well in this area and has a very high reputation going back years when it was a CERT college. That needs to be fostered and developed and the funding could do that. Working within the marine cluster is very significant and shows the potential for the future development of the college so that is very important and I am glad that it is integral to the Minister's thinking.
I want to get to a place where the people of Killybegs and the Killybegs campus can be certain not just about their future but about the fact that they are not a peripheral part of a university but instead have a core role. The comments I have received from ATU regarding its view are very encouraging. I am also told that ATU is working with the Donegal local enterprise office and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to look at how we can support the development of Killybegs and south-west Donegal. The Killybegs campus has been in receipt of capital funding of €1.8 million in recent years. I understand, and the Deputy knows better than me, that this has enabled significant building upgrades, some of which I outlined. Crucial to all of this is the ATU strategic plan. It must under the Technological Universities Act put a plan in place for three to five years. It must be provided to me, the HEA and QQI and must be published. ATU is developing its first plan. It met with staff in Killybegs on 21 January and is due to meet the Killybegs campus again on 14 March. I know that the information I have shared with the Deputy is an indication of what ATU's thinking is as it begins to develop this plan but there is an opportunity for people in Killybegs to continue to feed in with 14 March being the next Killybegs campus meeting.
One thing that is very important to Killybegs is facilitating and enabling students to return to third-level education. I know a few people who have gone back into education. People who would not have completed secondary school have gone into further education 20 or 30 years later, which is very significant. It is also very important for Donegal because over the years, it lacked people with third-level qualifications. The ability of people to go back into further education and restart their education is very significant. The college and that particular campus have a significant role to play in that and I would like to see that continue and develop over the next couple of years.
I agree with all of that. I hope the Deputy can take some encouragement not just from what I say but, more importantly, from what ATU is telling me. It is highlighting tourism education and training as a key role for Killybegs. It acknowledges that the campus there has a long tradition of excellence in the area and talks about anticipating development in food science in Killybegs given its location and access to raw materials such as marine protein. It is also talking about the Killybegs marine cluster and its role, and that of Letterkenny Institute of Technology before that in working as part of that culture to develop further partnerships and the work they are doing with Enterprise Ireland in that area.
From what I am hearing from ATU, I am very satisfied that it is very clear on the important role Killybegs campus is playing and will play and it looks to me as though ATU is envisaging a much bigger role as it develops. The strategic plan is the first opportunity to publicly knit together the new technological university and satisfy public representatives and the people of Killybegs and Donegal of their place in this new educational landscape.
