Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade
Trade between Ireland and ASEAN Countries (Resumed): Enterprise Ireland
10:00 am
Mr. David Byrne:
That falls to the individual colleges. Deputy Byrne may be aware of the significant amount of accommodation for students that has been developed across the country by the colleges and in terms of PPP operations. There have been some very innovative developments in that space by both the public and private sectors. Athlone Institute of Technology has managed to find significant separate accommodation in the immediate Athlone area for its student base from the Gulf region. Another example is UCD's expansion of its on-site accommodation in Belfield. Those facilities enhance the wider education ecosystem and strengthen the offer for Ireland. The Education in Ireland brand provides not only immediate education needs but it looks to provide guidance on living in Ireland, quality of life in Ireland and other wider benefits to a student than simply the core education element. It is important that people who come here not only have some cultural awareness but enjoy the experience as well as achieve a top-class education.
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