New FET college campus plans at pre-tender stage

Plans for a major new Further Education and Training (FET) college campus in Cavan have now reached a critical pre-tender stage, with Cavan-Monaghan ETB told it must prioritise the appointment of a design team this calendar year.

Progression under the FET College Major Capital Programme is a stated priority for the Department of Further and Higher Education, and officials “recently met” with all 12 Chief Executives whose ETBs have projects within the capital scheme.

The update was provided to Minister for Further and Higher Education, James Lawless, to Cavan-Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD, Brendan Smith.

Considered one of the most important education infrastructure projects in region, the proposal is to develop of a new, centralised FET College campus on land already owned by the ETB at Cathedral Road, currently occupied by Cavan Institute.

The project is currently at the pre-tender stage, specifically the 'Project Design, Planning and Procurement Strategy' stage.

“This is a key stage of development for the proposal as the preferred option is subject to more detailed scrutiny, assumptions are further tested and refined, risks are better understood. At the end of this stage the project design and relevant tender documentation will be finalised,” said Minister Lawless in response to a Parliamentary Question tabled by the local TD.