Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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366. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are official connections, structures or integrated service provisions between cross-Border educational organisations such as the education and training boards and local enterprise offices and their northern counterparts; and if any of the universities provide outreach courses in the Border areas. [35209/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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In relation to the Education and Training Boards, Donegal, Monaghan, and Sligo VECs/ETBs participated, along with the Southern Regional College NI, and the former Educational Guidance Service for Adults, NI in the Deaf Community Infrastructure Development (DCID) Project (2011-13), which was funded by Interreg. The Project's purposes were to provide information sessions for the public around deaf awareness and sign language training for tutors and for the public.

Donegal ETB formed part of a project board, established with representatives from Catholic Maintained Schools/Western Education and Library Board (CCMS/WELB) to consider the potential for a pilot cross-border education project involving St Mary's High School, Brollagh and post-primary schools in Donegal.

Donegal ETB has worked with the Western Education and Library Board, Omagh, as part of a project examining cross-border student flows involving the Department of Education and Skills, Letterkenny IT (LYIT), SOLAS, and HEA. Also, Donegal ETB informally facilitated a Cross Border ICT Sharing Group with counterparts in Northern Ireland.

Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board has a Memorandum of Understanding with Stranmillis University College to deliver a degree in Early Childhood Education. The students are registered students of Stranmillis. Tuition is delivered using video conferencing technology and a County Monaghan-based tutor.

Senior management of Louth & Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB) have met with counterparts in the Southern Regional College, to explore the possibilities for collaborative working/partnership activities in the area of further education and training provision.

LMETB participation in EU funded Peace programmes has entailed cross-border meetings, workshops and shared activities with groups of learners/course participants, to facilitate networking, breaking down of perceived barriers and sharing of cultural heritage.

With regard to higher education, Letterkenny IT, IT Sligo and Dundalk IT are the most active higher-education institutions (HEIs) in terms of cross-border co-operation, while some other HEIs undertake outreach activity in the border region.

Letterkenny IT has partnered with the University of Ulster to provide a joint Masters programme in Innovation Management in the Public Service and also is engaged in developing the North West Gateway Strategic Alliance (NWGSA) proposal which is aimed at developing closer collaboration between LYIT and the University of Ulster. LYIT has also partnered with the North West Regional College in Derry to deliver programmes, and engages in outreach activity with several schools in Northern Ireland. Another major project is the joint proposal by LYIT and the Northern Ireland Science Park to develop a North West Regional Science Park (NWRSP), based in Derry. LYIT also has a collaborative agreement in place with Cavan Institute.

Sligo IT's main cross border link is in the delivery of three Biomedical Science degrees in conjunction with the University of Ulster, which are aimed at hospital laboratory staff as well as biopharmaceutical industry personnel primarily in Ireland and the UK. In addition, the Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies (CREST) project operates across a network of educational institutions including South West College, Cavan Innovation and Technology Centre, IT Sligo, and Dumfries & Galloway College in Scotland and has been set up to provide expertise and a range of facilities to help entrepreneurs and SMEs to bring innovative sustainable ideas from concept to reality. The project is supported by the EU's INTERREG IVA Programme, managed by the Special European Union Programmes Board (SEUPB), with matching funding provided by Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment and Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation.

Dundalk IT is a key partner in the North East Further and Higher Education Alliance which involves close links between the institute and regional further education providers, allowing for outreach activity to be better targeted and for increased access, transfer and progression between further and higher education in the North East region. The Regional Development Centre (RDC) at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) was established in 1989 to act as the commercially-oriented interface between DkIT and the industrial, commercial and business life of the region and has had a long history in working on a cross-border basis with University Partners in Northern Ireland including the University of Ulster and Queen's University Belfast on economic development projects. DkIT also collaborates closely with those institutions on a range of research projects.

St Angela's College Sligo has now merged with NUIG and is used as a regional outreach centre by NUIG, alongside the delivery of its own courses.

In addition, the Centre for Cross Border Studies, based in Armagh, has strong representation from both Irish and Northern Irish universities.

The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) have primary responsibility for the delivery of State support to the indigenous micro-enterprise sector and provide financial assistance, soft supports and a signposting and referral service for micro and small business at the local level. The LEOs in the border counties participate actively with their counterparts in Northern Ireland in a number of educational initiatives designed to assist the micro-enterprise sector across Northern Ireland and the six border counties.

LEO Cavan has been active for a number of years in conjunction with Cavan Innovation and Technology Centre (CITC) in partnering with Ulster University and South West College in delivering a range of outreach programmes in Cavan, such as 'Higher Attainment Through Cross Border Hubs' (HATCH), funded by the INTERREG IVA programme. The programme was targeted at up-skilling persons affected by the downturn in the construction sector, migrant workers, and promoting female entrepreneurship. LEO Cavan partnered with CITC in collaboration with the Business Institute of University of Ulster, and South West College, Omagh and Enniskillen. As a follow on to the HATCH project, CITC is involved with Ulster University in planning the delivery of a second BSc Hons in Management Practice on an outreach basis, which is expected to commence in January 2016. Other examples of cross border programmes between the LEOs and their counterparts in Northern Ireland are available through www.localenterprise.ie.