Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with some of what Senator Norris said. In the past, the regional technical colleges had an important role when they focused on educating graduates with engineering and technical skills to serve the construction and engineering industries and stakeholders in the various regions where they were established, as well as providing apprentices to the construction sector.

I attended Waterford Regional Technical College when it evolved into Waterford Institute of Technology. That is fine if a college wants to remain in that space on specific engineering and technical arrangements. However, I know that Waterford Institute of Technology, for example, has evolved dramatically over the years. The argument is that the south east is the only region which does not have a university. The institute itself responded to that need with limited resources. Institutes of technology do not have the autonomy that universities have. Despite that barrier, many of these institutes, like Waterford, evolved to develop courses in the humanities, law, music and other areas, through the hard work and commitment of their teaching staff.