25 January 2005
MINISTER ANNOUNCES MAJOR CAPITAL INVESTMENT FOR FERMANAGH COLLEGE OF FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION
Barry Gardiner MP, Minister for Employment and Learning, today unveiled details of an £8.3 million investment for Fermanagh College. The funding will enable provision of a replacement skills centre at the existing Killyhevlin site and a new build extension at the College's main campus in Enniskillen town centre.
Highlighting the importance of the Further Education (FE) sector to the economy, the Minister said: "In November, I launched the Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland - a vision for the future of education and training. Within that strategy it is recognised that the FE sector will play a key role in addressing the five main challenges that face our economy. These have been outlined as:
1. Dealing with the requirements for new skills and labour flexibility in the context of increasing globalisation.
2. Coping with an increasingly national and internationally mobile labour market.
3. Raising the skill levels of the existing workforce.
4. Addressing the relatively high level of economic inactivity.
5. Addressing the relatively low productivity rates in our businesses.
"The £8.3m funding committed today provides further confirmation of Government's commitment to the sector and the young people and adults using its facilities."
The target date for the completion of the new facilities is May 2007.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. It is anticipated that the project will begin in April 2005 with the appointment of consultants and construction completion and handover in May 2007.
2. £3.5m of the funding was committed in May 2002 when Prime Minister Tony Blair, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and the then First and Deputy First Ministers announced the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative (RRI) - an initiative designed to address Northern Ireland's infrastructure deficit.
3. Media enquiries to the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025 7790.
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