Emer Higgins TD welcomed Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris T.D., to Clondalkin to announce it as one of 13 chosen locations to benefit from the Strategic Investment Fund for further education. Funding of €4.6 million will be provided for a significant overhaul of 13 services with Clondalkin being prioritised.
Deputy Emer Higgins, TD for Dublin Mid West attended the announcement in Clondalkin alongside Councillors Kenneth Egan and Shirley O’Hara and welcomed the news.
Deputy Emer Higgins said “this funding will enable the upgrade and extension of the Clondalkin College of Further Education on Monastery Road. The prefab buildings we currently see there were installed over 40 years ago and will finally be replaced. The funding will also provide for the delivery of a brand new state of the art 1000msq building fully and a modern, upgraded ICT system. The team at Clondalkin College of Further Education do incredible work, changing the lives so many people by empowering them to develop new skills through education, training and apprenticeships. This investment will mean that opportunity can be provided to 600 more students at a time.”
Councillor Kenneth Egan was also in attendance and said “I am thrilled that my home town of Clondalkin was chosen in the first tranche of investment in this fund and that the Minister came out to Clondalkin to make this significant national announcement.”
Councillor Shirley O’Hara also welcomed the news. She said, “The Clondalkin Centre does great work and can now plan to serve even more people including those on the long term unemployed, early school leavers, new nationalities members of the travelling community.”
Minister Harris stated that the investments will support the replacement of aging prefabs with modern teaching and learning spaces; expansion of capacity – including for apprenticeships and other training; bolstering of links to industry and to higher education; and improvements to Youthreach infrastructure.
