Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this debate. As he knows, and as the Acting Chairman pointed out, Dunboyne College of Further Education recently received independent status and an enrolment number. This time a number of months ago, the college, while operating as a post-leaving certificate college, was under the umbrella of St. Peter's secondary school in Dunboyne. This meant that staffing and budgets had to be shared. The college has been in temporary accommodation since it started ten years ago.

I take this opportunity to thank the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, and the Minister of State, Deputy English, who is my colleague in Meath West, for working with me, the college, departmental officials and the college advisory board on which I sit. The new independent status changes matters for the college and means a great deal for the people who work there and its students. It changes the direction in which the college is going, allowing it to become the college that it is capable of becoming.

While the college has many constraints, it has become the centre of excellence in the county and, indeed, the wider area. It serves a large catchment area of approximately 400,000 people. It integrates school leavers, mature students and non-national students. It has grown out of nothing with just a handful of courses a number of year ago into a college that has developed new programmes in conjunction with business, industry and third level needs. More than 90% of its graduates go on to receive third level offers, which is a fantastic record.

Until now, the college's main impediment was its status. The staffing, budgets and everything else had to be shared. While the college has just received its enrolment number, for which we are grateful, and the feeling among some is probably one of "go away and leave us alone for another while," the main problem that the college now faces is that it is not able to grow in numbers or in size. While this is mostly due to the post-leaving certificate allocation, it is also because its temporary accommodation is located in a business park. While the accommodation has served the college well up to this point, it comprises business units. Recently, the college had to give back space because its lease had ended. Obviously, the units went back to their owner to be leased out to somebody else. There is a fear that such could happen again and the college would have to downsize once more.

Funding for post-leaving certificate colleges comes through SOLAS, which is funded through the Department. SOLAS has stated that it does not have money for capital projects. After ten years, though, the college is now paying €100,000 in rent per year. Obviously, the rent did not start out at that amount, but it makes sense to invest now. We will or already have a demand for an educational training centre in the region, which comprises a catchment area of 400,000 people in Meath, north Dublin, Kildare and Offaly. As SOLAS is not just the new further education authority, but the new training authority, Dundalk is the nearest facility. As the Minister of State has mentioned, given the fact that his portfolio crosses the Departments of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Education and Skills, it will not be a shortage of jobs that is likely to be the problem in a few years' time, but finding people who are sufficiently skilled and trained to fill those positions.

The Minister of State has been supportive of the college on its journey so far.

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I know he will continue to do that. I ask him to support this endeavour. A new building is needed not just for the county but also for the 400,000 people served by the college.

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