March 2018
The Technological University of the South East consortium of Institute of Technology Carlow and Waterford Institute of Technology welcomes the signing into law earlier today, Wednesday 21 March, of the Technological Universities Bill 2015 by Uachtarán Na hÉireann, Michael D Higgins. This is an important milestone for Irish higher education and particularly for the Institute of Technology sector.
The economic and cultural development of the South-East will flourish with a University in the South-East Region of Ireland. Notwithstanding the success of the existing higher education institutions, the ability of the region to retain its existing talent, to attract talent from abroad, and to secure inward investment will be transformed by an organisation with the breadth, scale and brand of the multi-campus Technological University envisaged for the South East. The establishment of a university impacts on the region’s ability to build sustainable, high quality employment for future generations. Many of the region’s third level students who choose to study outside the region will now have a new choice to study in a new type of Irish University and to build their careers and lives in the region.
Carlow and Waterford Institutes of Technology are actively engaged in the process of defining the framework for the delivery of the Technological University for the South East (TUSE). Following the signing into law of the Technological Universities Bill, the consortium partners, with the support of Government and the Higher Education Authority, plan to have all the preparatory work completed by mid-2018, for a formal application for Technological University designation in the second half of 2018. The partners are fully committed to the delivery of a world-class Technological University that will act as a catalyst for the economic, social and cultural development of the region.
On behalf of the institutions, the Governing Body Chairs and Presidents thank Minister Mitchell O’Connor for her personal commitment to the Technological University programme and acknowledge the central role of the Department of Education and Skills led by Minister Bruton.