Report recommends university status for Waterford IT

A report commissioned by Waterford Chamber of Commerce has recommended that the city's Institute of Technology be given university status.

The report said the south-east region was currently suffering from a "brain drain" as most students from the area attend college elsewhere and do not return.

It said university status for Waterford IT would create 2,000 new jobs and bring more than €96m annually to the local economy.