Third-level institute the way forward for Education and Jobs in Meath – Bobbett

local press statement

The establishment of a third-level institute in a major town such as Ashbourne could bring about huge prosperity for the county, says Fine Gael Councillor Charles Bobbett.
 
Currently County Meath is without a full third-level educational institution for its citizens. Most of our local school leavers who go on to third-level do so by travelling and studying outside the county, in University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University and the Blanchardstown Institute of Technology. Many also go on to third-level at Maynooth University near Dunboyne, and a good proportion to Dundalk Institute of Technology.
 
We are now in a time of economic uncertainty, where education is continuing to be a key ingredient to maintaining high quality jobs and attracting inward investment; it is time when Meath Education leaders must grasp the chance to found its own third-level college.

We saw in the past how large multi-nationals such as Intel in Leixlip utilised the quality education establishment at Maynooth University to staff its research and production facility. This has had a huge impact on the economy of Meath, Kildare and West Dublin. In the same way, a third-level institution founded in towns like Ashbourne could bring large-scale employment projects and prosperity to south-east Meath.
 
County Meath’s majority educator, the County Meath Vocational Education Committee, can play a major part in this also. A strong and concerted effort to establish a Post Leaving Certificate College, could be built up to the level of a university-standard college in the long term. The organisation has the capacity to venture forward at both these levels in the long term. Already there is an established post-Leaving Certificate College run by Meath VEC in Dunboyne. This opens a whole world of opportunity to local students beyond formal second-level education.
 
The local Area plans currently underway in Ashbourne, Ratoath, and Dunboyne must be utilised to realise this valuable resource in advancing education and to find suitable local sites for a more advanced education establishment in our County.

 //ends

For more information:

Councillor Charles Bobbett
087-1268135

About Councillor Charles Bobbett

Charles Bobbett is a graduate of Science and Education at Maynooth University, and the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business UCD Blackrock, with over 14 years experience in Education provision.