A student group from a brand new Level 8 Degree Tertiary Programme were the first of their kind in the region to graduate recently at Limerick and Clare ETB’s College of Further Education and Training conferring ceremony, which took place in Limerick. The programme is part of a new national partnership between Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and is coordinated by the National Tertiary Office. The students graduated from Stage 1 of the tertiary programmes that commenced with Limerick and Clare ETB, are continuing in the Technological University of the Shannon Midlands Mid West (TUS), and will culminate in the award of a degree.
Back in 2022, then Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, announced a new policy for the development of a unified tertiary education sector. This was followed by the creation of a new National Tertiary Office (NTO) which was established within the Higher Education Authority (HEA). This new office was designed to support the development of arrangements between ETBs, FET and HEIs leading to the development of further and higher education degree programmes.
Graduates from the new New Degree Programmes launched through Limerick and Clare ETB and TUS partnership celebrating at their graduation.
The first phase involved a number of Tertiary Degree programmes in areas like Business, Information and Communication Technology, Arts, Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction and Health and Welfare. These were launched between five ETB/HEI partnerships taking place across eleven locations nationwide, where students could begin their higher education journey in FET and complete the remainder of their degree in HEI.
In September 2023, the first two tertiary Level 8 degree programmes within the Limerick and Clare ETB and TUS partnership commenced. These included a Business Studies programme at the College of FET, Ennis Campus in Clare and a Mobile and Web Computing programme at the College of FET, Mulgrave Street Campus in Limerick. 22 students enrolled across the two programmes, with a total of 16 completing the first year (stage one) of their degree. Proud family and friends joined these students at the recent conferring ceremony at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa in Limerick on what was a ground-breaking day for education in the region.
Staff from Limerick and Clare ETB, TUS and the National Tertiary Office who celebrated with students graduating from Stage 1 of the new Tertiary Level 8 degree programmes recently.
Representatives from Limerick and Clare ETB and TUS said they were excited by the new opportunity for integrated access to education, providing a harmonious pathway from further education to higher education.
Director of Further Education and Training at Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, Paul Patton, said: “Creating partnerships that work to provide access and progression opportunities for FET students is a key priority of the ETB’s 4-year FET Strategic Framework. This is a significant step forward in that strategy and underlines the key role of FET in the Tertiary Education landscape of the region. Through this close collaboration with TUS on the development and shared delivery of these tertiary programmes, students are provided with a seamless transition from FET into Higher Education and a clearly-defined learner pathway right through to professional practice.”
TUS Vice President for Academic Affairs and Registrar, Dr Terry Twomey, said: “These pilot programmes provide new pathways to higher education for students from across the region. TUS is committed to providing relevant high-quality education in both traditional and flexible ways to cater to a diverse cohort of students across the region. New pathways to Higher Education are about ensuring everyone’s potential can be realised and all individuals in our region can be provided with equal opportunities thereby positively impacting the individual, their family, communities and the region as a whole.”
Following the recent conferring, the tertiary students who graduated from the College of FET Mulgrave Street and Ennis campuses have now gone on to stage two of their degree at TUS and the same programmes are running again in the current academic year, with 19 students enrolled on the two programmes.
As part of the national Tertiary Initiative, it is now also envisaged that going forward the Tertiary Programme will see the rollout of a wider offering of degree programmes between Limerick and Clare ETB and TUS, illustrating the popularity of the new initiative.
For more information on pursuing a degree through the new tertiary routes email tertiaryoffice@lcetb.ie
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