€32 million budget for FET in Cavan-Monaghan

A budget worth €32 million has been assigned for the delivery of Further Education and Training (FET) in Cavan and Monaghan.

The news, delivered to board members at their May monthly meeting, comes at a time of significant investment in the sector here in Cavan and Monaghan, with a new €40 million proposed campus in the pipeline for Cavan Institute, together with the purchase of a new modular unit for its Dublin Road site.

Comprising of a music recording studio, post production and editing room, performance space, radio studio, beauty therapy training rooms, space and hydrotherapy training space, a fully equipped gymnasium, sports therapy rooms, two science labs, three computer labs, canteen and student social space, and offices and staff work areas, buildings officer Bernie Power said the building would soon be open to learners.

CMETB is meanwhile in the process of readying an official launch for its Supply Chain, Logistics and Procurement (SCLP) Centre of Excellence.

The ETB received almost €3 million in June 2020 from Enterprise Ireland through the Border Enterprise Development Fund to set up the SCLP, which will drive the development of skills around robotics, 3D printing, Internet of Things and blockchain technology, big data analytics, as well as drone technology.

Newly secured temporary accommodation at Killygarry Business Park, on the outskirts of Cavan Town is already in use as a step towards securing a more permanent base within the nearby former Dun Uí Neill barracks site.

Dr Linda Pinkster, director of FET, said the SCLP, supported by EI and SOLAS, is the ETB’s “newest large project” and has led to the rollout of new courses in response to industry feedback, such as part-time learning in HGV, articulated and bus driving.

The colleges in Cavan and Monaghan are the “first to have” such courses on their books, and Dr Pinkster thanked the staff for adapting to the need for delivery.

She said a new HGV state-of-the-art driving rig had been purchased as part of the ETB’s investment in course provision, and this would prove a “great resource” going forward.

The ETB has meanwhile extended its lease at St Clare’s in Cavan Town for a further three months, and its agreement to rent the premises used by Cavan Youthreach at Moynehall for a further five years.

In April the ETB approved a two-year lease extension on a property at EU House, Castlemeadow Court, Tirkeenan, Monaghan; and The Workhouse, Shercock Road, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan.

An additional €425,000 has also been secured by the ETB from SOLAS.

The allocation was welcomed by board members at the May meeting, and by Dr Pinkster.