This article is from page 10 of the 2006-11-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
A PILOT scheme for third-level education in Ennis will be in place by February next, members of Clare County Council have been told.
Harriet Cotter, the new Director of the Clare Lifelong Learning project, was giving a presentation to a meeting of the local authority on the provision of third-level education in the county.
She told members that, to begin with, there would be two pilot projects, one in February of next year and one the following September.
The courses offered on these pilot projects would include community studies and foundation studies in various subjects.
One of the concepts behind the overall project is to establish a facility in Ennis enabling people from all parts of the county to access courses through distance learning, in association with the third-level institutions of neighbouring counties.
It is envisaged that the facility will prioritise courses relevant to the county’s economy in the areas of culture, tourism, forestry, maritime and agriculture and programmes for immigrants.
In the past seven weeks, Cotter told the meeting, she had been liaising with existing third-level facilities and the possible course providers.
“I have found a huge commitment to this. In addition, we have a growing population and a strong business, industry and commercial base as well as a traditionally high participation rate in third-level education.”
But she told the meeting of councillors that there was a major issue around fees.
“The fees issue is a significant inhibitor. It’s an inequity which allows full-time students to study free while part-time students have to pay for it.”
An awareness campaign is being planned to let people know what will be on offer, with a series of public meetings scheduled for around the county.