Clondalkin gains from €4.6m Strategic Investment Fund

CLONDALKIN was chosen as one of 13 locations to benefit from the Strategic Investment Fund for further education.

Funding of €4.6m will be provided for in the overall fund.

Emer Higgins, TD, welcomed Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, to Clondalkin for the announcement, alongside Cllr Kenneth Egan and Cllr Shirley O’Hara.

Deputy Higgins said: “This funding will enable the upgrade and extension of the Clondalkin College of Further Education on Monastery Road. The prefab buildings we currently see were installed over 40 years ago and will be replaced. The funding will also provide for the delivery of a brand new state-of-the-art 1,000 m sq building and a modern, upgraded ICT system.

“The team at Clondalkin College of Further Education do incredible work, changing the lives of so many people by empowering them to develop new skills through education, training and apprenticeships.

“This investment will mean that opportunity can be provided to 600 more students at a time.”

Cllr Egan said: “I am thrilled that my home town of Clondalkin was chosen in the first tranche of investment in this fund and that the Minister came out to Clondalkin to make this significant national announcement.”

Cllr O’Hara said: “The Clondalkin centre does great work and can now plan to serve even more people, including the long-term unemployed, early school leavers, new nationalities, and members of the travelling community.”

Minister Harris stated that the investments will support the replacement of ageing prefabs with modern teaching and learning spaces; expansion of capacity – including for apprenticeships and other training; bolstering of links to industry and to higher education; and improvements to Youthreach infrastructure.