€9.5m education initiative for Shannon region

THE Government has agreed to fund a major new education initiative which will see new linkages between the University of Limerick (UL), and other third-level institutions in Limerick and Tralee.

UL, Mary Immaculate College of education, and Limerick and Tralee Institutes of Technology will be known as the Shannon Consortium.

They will upgrade existing courses with €9.5 million in funding, which the Government has agreed to allocate through the Higher Education Authority.

Access programmes, distance learning projects and educational partnerships will be set up, and students of one college will be able to access modules in the consortium’s other institutions.

UL president John O’Connor, welcomed yesterday’s announcement by Education Minister Mary Hanafin, saying the consortium “will change the educational landscape of the Shannon region”. The consortium aims to make it easier for students from marginalised and under-represented communities to access higher education and gain qualifications.

Mr O’Connor said: “The consortium will put in place a range of learner support programmes designed to help the region’s 14,000 students progress through their third-level education — with a focus on student learning needs and styles, delivery of programmes in ways that suit lifelong learners and specific support measures across the region in areas such as mathematics and science.”