Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 October 2023
158. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on current and future development plans for the Drogheda Institute for Further Education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45543/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraLouth Meath ETB (LMETB) put forward a proposal under the Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund (SIUF), which I announced in February 2022, for multipurpose tertiary facilities for Drogheda Institute for Further Education (DIFE).
The primary purpose of the SIUF is to support ETB capital projects that will upgrade existing FET infrastructure and provide a high quality teaching and learning environment, aligned with the principles of the FET College of the Future. The SIUF projects will transform the FET learner experience and will contribute to making the FET College of the Future a reality.
Under the SIUF a total of 19 projects have been approved for appointment of a design team, 13 of which were approved in 2022 and the final six announced in recent weeks.
The Brief Validation meeting for LMETB’s project at DIFE was held earlier this year, in May, and the project is currently with the ETB for next steps.
In addition to the SIUF, in July 2023, DIFE, Dublin City University (DCU) and LMETB announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU signals the DIFE and DCU’s commitment to working together to deliver a number of HET to HE pathways.
