Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ensuring that learners have options beyond the CAO has been a longstanding priority for me and my department.

As the Deputy will be aware, September 2023 marked the commencement of the new Joint Tertiary Degrees. These programmes see students begin their third level experience in further education, and then progress seamlessly to a higher education institution to complete their fully accredited Level 7 or 8 degree. The programmes have been met with great interest, with students all over the country now enrolled on tertiary programmes in areas like Nursing, Software Development and Business.

The National Tertiary Office issued a call last September for proposals for further tertiary degrees for delivery in September 2024. In addition the continuation of the existing programmes, there will also be a significant expansion of the tertiary degrees on offer. All Education and Training Boards, Technological Universities and Institutes of Technology will be involved in providing tertiary programmes in 2024 and the number of programmes on offer is expected to more than double. The details of the 2024 offering will be announced early this year.

These joint programmes signal that there is more than one route to third level education, and no one pathway is better than another. I am looking forward to seeing these programmes continue to expand this year, both in terms of the courses that will be offered, and the number of learners enrolled.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 137 of 19 October 2023, the status the proposed new further education college in Galway city; if the preliminary business case has been completed and submitted to SOLAS to date; if the design team has been appointed to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1954/24]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for her question.

The Deputy will be aware that Galway Roscommon ETB have been working with and supported by SOLAS in developing their preliminary business case proposal for their Mervue site in Galway city under the FET College of the Future Major Projects fund for the last number of months. The development of a robust Preliminary Business Case (PBC) is fundamental to the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines (Formerly known as the Public Spending Code guidelines).

Completed preliminary business cases including that of Galway Roscommon ETB were to be submitted to SOLAS by the deadline of last Friday, the 12th of January. These business cases will be evaluated under criteria such as value for money, affordability and strategic policy and priority alignment, in line with the requirements of the infrastructure guidelines, and ETBs will be informed of the outcome of this evaluation process once it is completed.

It is anticipated that the proposal put forward by Galway Roscommon ETB will involve the development of a new state-of-the-art FET campus on a site adjacent to its Mervue Training facility. This proposed new development would facilitate the strengthening of FET provision in Galway City and the wider region due to its close proximity to the training Centre in Mervue, Atlantic Technological University and the University of Galway.

My officials and SOLAS will continue to work closely with Galway Roscommon ETB to ensure that the appropriate infrastructures are in place to meet the needs of their learners and staff.