“The designation of Ireland’s first technological university would not have happened but for the dedication, hard work and commitment shown by the staff of the three institutions along with the leadership and governance of Minister Richard Bruton, Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor and their teams. We are grateful for the vote of confidence in the technological HE sector and look forward to the increased diversity and choice that further TU designations will bring to higher education in Ireland.
“We welcome the investment made to date in the landscape restructuring and anticipate with interest the allocation of further funding to the three remaining TU consortia in the South-East, Munster and Connacht. This week we will lodge a collective pre-budget submission with the Department of Finance on behalf of the entire Technological HE sector on the core funding that is required for our sector in Budget 2019. In that submission we will ask the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to mirror the confidence of Ministers Bruton and Mitchell O’Connor in the technological HE sector with a robust package of investment as a stepping stone to establishing a sustainable funding model in the near future.
“As Minister Bruton has stated, “Ireland 2040” firmly places education as the cornerstone of Ireland’s economic and social development. The technological sector is uniquely placed to deliver on the aspirations for Ireland’s third level institutions. Ireland’s largest university will now be a technological university. It will be followed by 3 more applications for designation of university status from Institutes of Technology geographically spread across the island of Ireland. Through our institutions, the technological higher education sector delivers a unique system of higher education, allowing students to progress from level 6 to level 10 of the National Framework of Qualifications. We champion “access”, actively targeting students who may not otherwise consider higher level education. Our links with industry ensure that our graduates are work-ready, have been operating to highest industrial standards and are experienced in meeting the demands of the workplace upon graduating. Students of the technological HE sector will now have a richly diverse range of options open to them. We look forward with anticipation to the next stage of the TU process and the completion of submissions from Munster, Connacht, Ulster and the South East.”
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For further information please contact:
Dr Joseph Ryan, CEO, THEA: (086) 6067313 joseph.ryan@thea.ie
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The technological higher education sector in Ireland comprises 14 Institutes of Technology geographically dispersed across Ireland. The Technological Higher Education Association is their representative and advocacy body.
There are currently four consortia of Institutes of Technology engaged with the developmental process seeking to become designated as technological universities.
The TU4Dublin consortium comprising Dublin Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown and Institute of Technology Tallaght.
The Munster Technological University (MTU) consortium comprising Cork Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Tralee.
The Connacht Ulster Alliance (CUA) consortium comprising Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Sligo and Letterkenny Institute of Technology.
The Technological University for the South-East (TUSE) consortium comprising Waterford Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Carlow.
Athlone Institute of Technology, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Institute of Art Design and Technology Dun Laoghaire and Limerick Institute of Technology remain autonomous Institutes of Technology.
