Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 January 2024
81. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on proposals to develop MSLETB as a College of the Future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2010/24]
View answerThe green light was given to the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board to proceed to the next stage of developing a multimillion euro college of the future back in November 2022. I would like an update on the current status of this project and any significant milestones achieved to date.
I thank Deputy Dillon for his work with me and his interest on this project. We have been in Castlebar many times and we can report real progress that it is now a university town, Mayo is now a university county and we have the Atlantic Technological University. From my engagement with the president of the university and from the Deputy directly I know how much of a difference that is already making and how much potential there is to go further to drive more courses and programmes into Castlebar. Alongside that we have the very significant milestone announcement we are going to develop a further education and training college of the future, which will be a real, modern, fit-for-purpose, flagship project for Mayo and the north west.
The Deputy monitors this closely so he will be aware that the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB has been working very closely with our agency, SOLAS, to develop the next step, called the preliminary business case, for Castlebar under the college of the future major projects fund. The development of this robust document is fundamental to moving into the next stage of requirements under the infrastructure guidelines, which used to be known as the Public Spending Code guidelines. I am really pleased to tell the Deputy the preliminary business case from the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board was submitted to SOLAS in advance of the deadline of Friday, 12 January. The board had until then to get it in and I am aware it was working extremely hard on that. These business cases and documents will now begin to be evaluated under the various criteria one would expect when it comes to the infrastructure guidelines. We will be engaging directly with the ETB once that evaluation process is completed.
Again, the Deputy knows this because he spoke to me about it previously, but parallel to the development of the business case, the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB is also working to identify its preferred site for the proposal. Much work has gone into this. Officials from my Department and SOLAS have met with the MSLETB and representatives of Mayo County Council to progress this and SOLAS and the Department now just await the outcome of this site identification process. It is good news. The next stage with the documents and the robust case is now over and good work is being done with the local authority, the ETB, my Department on SOLAS on site selection. I expect both of these to move ahead in parallel in the months ahead.
I thank the Minister for his response. It is certainly a very exciting time for both further and higher education in Mayo with the new college campus. This will build on the current links we have in the newly-established ATU and develop a clear pathway for students between further education training and higher education. It is important to strengthen those links. I compliment the Minister on the announcement before Christmas of more than €1 million being invested in the ATU with the establishment of a new apprenticeship programme for electricians. It is really important. We are seeing significant steps in the investment in both apprenticeships, further education and higher education. I compliment the Minister on his significant contribution to this project and his recent visits to Castlebar to see the current Mayo College of Further Education and Training, which is in a state of capital investment.
It is important I emphasise how critical it is we have speed of delivery. I advocate a special project delivery unit within SOLAS to manage these capital projects as Castlebar is one of 12 projects. It is good to hear the preliminary business case has been provided, but people will want to see progress in the months ahead.
I thank Deputy Dillon. I am pleased the Atlantic Technological University and the Castlebar site are now able to provide apprenticeships, but like I was saying earlier, we expand apprenticeship provision. It is important we also try to do it in the regions, because we want people to have an opportunity to be able to access this in their home towns or counties and we want employers in those areas to have an opportunity to access apprentices in their regions as well. Congratulations are due to Dr. Orla Flynn, President of ATU, for her work on that. I am looking forward to seeing the impact it makes in Castlebar and in Mayo.
I assure the Deputy that when it comes to speed of delivery that we very much are not intending to delay this by any manner or means. As a counterpoint to that, these are big projects. This is a massive transformation. We have gone from just about having an emergency fund to fix a leaky roof in a college of further education to having hundreds of millions of euro to spend on capital. We now have somebody in SOLAS leading out on these projects. Avril Behan is a very eminent quantity surveyor leading the way. We will evaluate the cases that have come in as of last Friday and we will work with MSLETB and the local authority in Mayo to finalise site selection as well.
I thank the Minister. It is good to hear there is a pathway in place to see these projects delivered in a timely manner, especially the college of further education in Mayo. It is positive news to hear that there is engagement with the county council on the preferred site at the military barracks. The key consideration for this college will be site selection to serve the needs not just of the students but also of the town and to make it a hub for people to come visit and to get educated. On the back of that, I emphasise it is important that in tandem with ATU and the college of further education we will look at the broader issue of student accommodation. I am aware the Minister is working tremendously hard on that, but there is a shortage of accommodation in Mayo for students. There is a need to not just look at our main cities and universities, but also at the technological universities and the FETs so they are encouraged to submit applications to the Department for small- or medium-type developments. We should also incentivise local authorities to look at suitable sites so builders are encouraged to put in applications. The Minister is working tremendously hard on that, but this is an opportunity to raise it.
I thank the Deputy. He is entirely right. For the technological universities to reach their full potential and indeed for the full benefit to be seen for the regions of Ireland we need to see the provision of student accommodation. That never happened when they were institutes of technology.
I think Waterford Institute of Technology may have, of its own volition, provided some student accommodation but I do not believe any other institute was in a position to do so. I am determined that does not happen with the technological universities because I really believe, for a variety of societal, economic and educational reasons, that it makes so much sense to look at providing student accommodation in the regions. The student accommodation policy approach that I brought to Cabinet only this week will provide for that. I have said consistently that 2024 will be the year in which we invite technological universities to bring forward their proposals so that we can engage on them. We are only 18 days into the year and I expect to be in touch with the TUs this month in relation to those proposals coming forward and then we will engage with them, just as we have engaged with the traditional universities, to determine the best vehicle to advance these projects, to fund them and get them to design and planning stage 2. We need a pipeline of projects in regional Ireland for student accommodation.
