Written answers
Tuesday, 23 July 2024
Department of Education and Skills
Education and Training Provision
Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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2618.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are plans for capital investment in further and higher education facilities in Louth in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32760/24]
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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My Department works collaboratively, through SOLAS and the HEA, with the Education Training Boards and all higher education institutions on the development and delivery of capital projects.
Capital investment in Louth for 2024 will be realised through existing capital projects and devolved funding mechanisms as detailed in the below table. Included is the single largest investment in Further Education and Training (FET) capital since the establishment of my Department, the Advanced Manufacturing and Training Centre of Excellence (AMTCE) in Dundalk with an investment of c.€18 million.
The table below outlines the FET and HE projects currently in train throughout county Louth.
| Programme | County | Institute | Project | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FET Capital Project | Louth | AMTCE | Phase 2 | Project is nearing completion in the coming weeks. Official opening expected to take place in the coming months. A total of c18m has been allocated this project since 2021 for works and fees. |
| FET - EHSWG | Louth | Further Ed Admin Offices, Dundalk | Roof Works | Currently on site. A total of c€200k has been allocated to this project since 2021. |
| FET - EHSWG | Louth | Further Ed Admin Offices, Dundalk | Mechanical Works | Currently at tender stage. |
| FET - SIUF | Louth | Drogheda IFE | Multi Purpose Training Facility & Changing Area | Approval granted in May 2024 for this project to proceed to Stage 2b – detailed design stage. |
| FET -CotF | Louth | Dunboyne | Site Acquisition | Negotiations and due diligence for the acquisition of a site is ongoing and expected to conclude in 2024. |
| FET – Devolved Capital Grant | Louth / Meath | Louth Meath ETB | Devolved works | €507,500 for 2024 Flexible funding to support ETBs with small-scale building works and equipment purchase or renewal. |
| HE - Infrastructure Upgrade and Refurbishment Fund | Louth | DkIT | North & South Block Project and STEM Extension | The STEM extension reached substantial completion in July 2023. DkIT are currently progressing the Roof/Boiler element of the North Building project. The South Building Roof and lab refurbishment works are scheduled to commence in Q3 2025. North and South Building Façades with North Building lab refurbishment works are scheduled to commence in Q3 2026. A total of €8,896,816.84 has been provided to this project since 2019 with €626,662.85 provided in 2024. |
| HE - Technological Sector Strategic Projects Fund | Louth | DkIT | National Centre for Craft Apprenticeship Provision | On 17th January 2024 the Minister announced the approval of the DkIT proposal to progress through Approval Gate 1 to the next stage which is Pre-tender - Project Design, Planning and Procurement Strategy. |
| HE - Apprenticeship Expansion 2023 | Louth | DkIT | In December 2023 the Minister approved the allocation of €17m for the Higher Education Apprenticeship Expansion Programme 2023 to deliver an additional 132 apprenticeship craft training blocks which will provide additional capacity at Phase 4 and Phase 6 in the higher education sector. DkIT will deliver 6 plumbing blocks as part of this investment. | |
| HE – Devolved Grant | Louth | DkIT | €2.58 million allocated in 2023 |
Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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2619.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made in Colleges of the Future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32761/24]
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the FET College of the Future Major Projects Fund was launched in February 2022, with the objective of addressing existing deficits in current FET infrastructure and to support projects that drive reform of the FET sector.
Under this programme call, all 16 ETBs were encouraged to develop proposals for funding that would demonstrate how broader FET reform objectives have been progressed to date, and how transformation can be further enabled and expedited through capital investment.
A total of ten projects were successful at the first stage of the assessment process and these along with two legacy projects (Dunboyne and Cathal Brugha Street) moved to the next stage of the development process – The development of a Preliminary Business Case. The ten projects are situated in Bray, Swords, Kilkenny City, Clonmel, Castlebar, Cork City, Galway City, Newcastle West, Killarney, and Cavan.
SOLAS and officials from my department recently met with all twelve ETBs, to discuss their proposal in the context of relevant regional and national FET policy objectives. Each ETB is now working on refining their business case proposal to ensure it will deliver on their priority infrastructure requirements that will meet the needs of their current and future learners and staff. Once business cases are updated and submitted, they will be evaluated by SOLAS and my department. Those proposals that meet the required evaluation criteria will move to the next stage of development, which is the Pre-Tender – Project Design, Planning and Procurement Strategy stage.
SOLAS and my department will continue to work closely with all twelve ETBs in supporting them through this proposal development phase.
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