Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
196. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on the progress in developing the new further education and training campus in Kilkenny; the expected completion date of the new campus; when the first intake of students will be; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34805/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraSignificant capital investment was secured under the National Development Plan for the FET College Major Capital Programme which is a key commitment in the Programme for Government.
Twelve of the ETBs are progressing projects under the programme, including Kilkenny and Carlow ETB which was successful in moving forward to the next stage of development, the Pre-tender - Project Design, Planning, and Procurement Strategy Stage.
KCETB’s proposal is to construct a new integrated Further Education and Training College on their newly acquired site at Joinersfolly to the south of Kilkenny City. The new flagship campus will bring all city provision together in one location, serving thousands of additional learners.
At the beginning of the year, officials from my department met with all 12 Chief Executives who have projects under this programme. At that meeting, ETBs were advised that they need to prioritise these projects, ensuring that sufficient resources are allocated within their ETBs to support delivery.
This year we will see the appointment of design teams for those ETBs that are ready to proceed, thereby maintaining momentum and supporting the timely delivery of the programme. An integrated design team framework has just been advertised to suppliers in April and will be ready for ETBs to draw down services from later this year.
This programme supports my commitment to investing in people by broadening choices for young people, helping adults acquire new skills, and improving access to education and opportunity across Kilkenny and beyond.
