Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. He has had a keen interest in education over a long period. I know that with him and the Minister, Deputy Harris, we have two people who will drive this project. It is in safe hands. So many speakers have mentioned that it is great to have the development that we have now. To have the ongoing consultation and drive to make things happen following this announcement is important.

This project is really exciting for the west and north west. We often ask in the west and north west what is missing, why can we not get employment and develop the west and north west. This project will provide a golden opportunity for my part of the country. In saying that, I acknowledge the work of the Athlone Institute of Technology, AIT, that has well in excess of 6,000 students of 63 different nationalities.AIT has one of the country's best records of placing students in employment. People there are very excited about this development. I welcome the fact that Athlone Institute of Technology is to be linked with Limerick Institute of Technology. Both institutions are on the River Shannon. The knowledge, schemes and ideas we can share with each other will be fantastic. It will be a huge shot in the arm in the context of foreign direct investment. Political parties and Governments have talked a great deal in this Chamber about balanced regional development. This is a real tool that will help balanced regional development. I am thinking specifically of places like Roscommon and Ballinasloe. They already have links with Athlone Institute of Technology, but those links will now be far stronger. That is important. I do not want to leave out Institute of Technology Sligo, which has also been really important to north Roscommon.

Athlone Institute of Technology covers many different areas, including engineering, health, science and hospitality. It was named "Institute of Technology of the Year" by The Sunday Timesin 2018. It is a great driving force with a great interest in its students. Sometimes we talk about the great economic activity colleges and universities bring to towns, cities or villages. This is something more than that. It is about working with the people in the area. Roscommon, Galway and the adjoining counties will derive quite a lot of benefit.

I would like to comment on apprenticeships. I would like our education system to ring-fence a percentage of apprenticeships for young people who grew up in the care of the State. I do not know if this is the right approach. There may be a scheme in place at the moment but as far as I can see, there is not. We should make a huge effort to make that happen. It would be a great gesture and it would give some of those people a really good chance.