Plans for new Cavan Institute campus expected shortly
Cavan Institute has been on the Department’s building list for eight years
The Higher Education Minister says new permanent accommodation for Cavan Institute will be included in the “next investment phase”.
The college is currently based at a number of different sites, including on Cathedral Road and at the former Army Barracks on the Dublin Road. There has been a push in recent months for the college to be prioritised for new accommodation.
Cavan Institute has been on the Department’s building list for eight years but no substantive plans for a new campus have ever been put forward.
The matter was raised with Higher Education Minister Simon Harris in the Dáil last week by local Fianna Fáil TDs Niamh Smyth and Brendan Smith.
He appealed for the Minister to prioritise Cavan Institute:
“Minister Harris in reply to my recent Parliamentary Questions in Dáil Éireann stated that a project for permanent accommodation for Cavan Institute will be considered as part of this next investment phase.”
Deputy Niamh Smyth praised the work of college and CMETB staff in providing high class education in the region:
“In the absence of a higher education facility in the border region, Cavan Institute responded by collaborating with a range of higher education colleges to deliver some of their courses on an outreach basis in Cavan to continue to meet the needs of students.”
Both local TDs have welcomed the inclusion of the college in the next investment plan.
CMETB will now be required to submit a proposal to the Department, considering potential locations and the project parameters.
FET funding trebled
The discussion came ahead of the announcement of the new Capital Programme, with €430 million in funding promised on Monday of this week.
The announcement, from the Department of Higher and Further Education, is simply the opening of the programme and no money has been announced for any specific projects.
Minister Simon Harris says this year’s scheme “represents a step change for the sector”, as 45% of the total allocation will go towards further education and training (FET), including the expansion of skills centres and apprenticeship programmes across the country and the establishment of Further Education and Training Colleges of the Future.