€3.75m. investment 'bodes well for the future of the Mayo GMIT campus'

MINISTER Michael Ring has confirmed that the ring-fenced commitment by the government to provide €750,000 for each of the next five years for the Castlebar campus of GMIT will help to secure the future of the campus and will mean that students in Mayo can avail of high quality third level education for the future.

Minister Ring also welcomed the publication of the report of the working group on the future of the Castlebar campus of GMIT which provides a plan for a sustainable future of the GMIT Mayo Campus in Castlebar.

The working group was chaired by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and comprised representatives from GMIT, the Department of Education and Skills, and important local stakeholders such as Mayo County Council and local business interests.

Minister Ring said: “The government is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to GMIT Castlebar. It has approved €750,000 ring fenced funding for the Castlebar campus for each of the next five years and will also be providing capital funding for the replacement of the roof of the GMIT campus that is currently in need of repair.

“Investment of this kind can only bode well for the future of the GMIT Castlebar campus. This will ensure that the future of the GMIT Castlebar campus is secured.

“As Minister for Rural and Community Development, I am determined that as a government we work to ensure that people have the opportunity to be educated, work and live in any region in the country.

"This investment and the report on the future of the Castlebar campus will help ensure that people in Mayo and Galway have the opportunity to be educated to a high standard.”

The report of the working group on the future of the Castlebar campus provides a wide-ranging assessment of the context within which the campus is currently operating, and outlines a proposed vision for the Mayo Campus, as well as a strategic and comprehensive plan to address the financial and sustainability issues which have been experienced by the GMIT Mayo Campus in recent years.

Key recommendations to be progressed by GMIT will be the recruitment of a permanent head of campus for Castlebar, the establishment of a sub-committee of the GMIT governing body to oversee the development of the Mayo campus, and the appointment of an interim independent external facilitator to work with the executive board, campus and other stakeholders to oversee the transition to the new structural and operational arrangements.

The working group’s recommendations will be implemented over the next five years, over the period 2018-2022, with a review of progress at the end of year two.

There will also be formal progress reports to be submitted to the GMIT Governing Body and the HEA every four months.