The good news kept on coming for Drogheda this morning when Minister Simon Harris announced that €4.5m has been approved for an expansion at Drogheda Institute for Further Education and that the headquarters of the LMETB is to be sited in Drogheda.
Harris, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science also told a large attendance at DIFE this morning that he expected to be back in Drogheda in the next few weeks or months with another announcement regarding a new centre of excellence for apprenticeships for the town.
The €4.5 million funding for FIFE will support the development of a purpose-built, multifunctional and stand-alone facility to include instruction space for pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and traineeship provision and a tertiary education block.
It will also expand the Institute’s capacity to deliver labour market led programmes, particularly traineeships and apprenticeships, and provide year-round learning, upskilling and reskilling options in the region.
There will also be new changing facilities to enhance access by the broader community to DIFE facilities during and after college hours as well as facilitating the growth and development of DIFE sports, leisure and coaching programmes.
Martin O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer of LMETB, and member of the Drogheda Implementation Board established in the wake of the Geiran report, said “We thank Minister Harris and the team in SOLAS for this infrastructural investment in Drogheda. It will enable LMETB and DIFE to meet labour demands and the needs of learners and communities in the greater Drogheda region.
“At LMETB, we pride ourselves on delivering 5-star education and training buildings for our learners; this development will build upon the significant work done by Davy McDonnell and his team in DIFE over the past number of years.” O’Brien continued.
Michael Keogh, Chair of the Drogheda Implementation Board said: “At our February meeting the Board agreed to lend our full support to LMETB in seeking funding for this development so we are delighted that they have been successful in their application.
“The development of this facility aligns to many of the recommendations made by Vivien Geiran in his Scoping Report into Community Safety and Wellbeing in Drogheda. These include prioritising the development of a sports and community changing and meeting block at DIFE; provision of third level education opportunities in Drogheda; the development of more apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programmes; and enhancing access to existing facilities for local communities.
“We would like to recognise the efforts of Martin O’Brien and his DIFE, Land and Buildings and Further Education teams in submitting this application, which was a challenging and competitive process but has resulted in a significant positive outcome for Drogheda”, Keogh continued.
It is anticipated that the project will be delivered in two phases, with phase one a multifunctional facility providing instruction spaces for pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship and traineeship along with the much-needed changing rooms, to be completed within the next year. Phase two will consist of the development of tertiary education rooms adjoining the main multipurpose building.
Local Fine Gael TD, Fergus O’Dowd said: “This is truly wonderful news for Drogheda and will address a number of key recommendations in Vivian Geiran’s Report “Drogheda – Creating a Bridge to a Better Future.”
“This expansion in partnership with DKIT will see the delivery of a stand-alone two storey multipurpose facility providing a wide range of new additional programmes in Physio, PE, Fitness, Culinary, Hospitality etc
“Critically the project aims to provide new engaging activities and programmes for young people from the area which will offer greater career and employment opportunities.
“This announcement underlines the importance of the Drogheda Implementation Plan as it continues to deliver tangible results for the people of Drogheda.
O’Dowd added “I want to thank my colleague Minister Simon Harris who is fulfilling his commitment by providing large scale funding to develop Drogheda’s further education offerings and also the LMETB who are working hard to deliver extra resources in Drogheda.
“I will also continue to work closely with Minister Harris and the Chief Executive of the LMETB to deliver on my campaign to provide a new centre of excellence for apprenticeships in Drogheda and I hope to have positive news on that front shortly.”
The project will facilitate integrated planning and delivery with DkIT and responds to recommendations of the Geiran report commissioned by the Department of Justice: Drogheda – Creating a Bridge to a Better Future.
