The Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber whole heartedly welcomes and supports a University for the South East.
“We see this as being a massive benefit for the entire region,” says D&WW Chamber President, David Walsh. “The gains from this centre of education will be broad in terms of betterment of the economy and the community. It will emphasise the attractiveness of the region as a place to develop businesses, as well as delivering diversity in employment for the region.
We see the Technological University of the South East as a major asset in attracting tech companies of all types and sizes to set up here or to develop additional or secondary sites in the South East. The TUSE will also serve to keep industry in the area by helping sectors innovate and will work alongside a variety of employers developing excellence within their field.”
One such example is GSK Dungarvan who expresses support for TUSE. “A Technological University (TU) will be a great asset for the SE region,” said Conor Tolan, Site Director of GSK Dungarvan. “Having access to a diverse talent pool is an important driver of growth and innovation for businesses in the region, and a key decision making factor in investment decisions. The TU will also provide excellent continuing professional development opportunities for those who want to enhance or broaden their skills, something we at GSK are very committed to.”
This is a good news story for the entire South East region says the D&WW Chamber. This kickstart from Government will boost the regions progression, enabling it to finally be competitive as an attractive place to live, study and develop careers.
We look forward to the Government committing to funding the Technological University for the South East. The financing for a ‘University of Substance’ must cover the development of new education disciplines in addition to a commitment of capital funding to grow the TUSE footprint. This will ensure this tremendous opportunity for the South East is supported and strategic.
The D&WW Chamber also supports Waterford as the Main Campus. Infrastructure is already in place, and there are expansion commitments by Government for adjacent sites to WIT. Capacity certainly exists for Waterford to grow and realise it’s potential as the capitol of the South East in line with the National Planning Framework 2040.
Stemming the ongoing brain drain by investing into a University of Substance for the South East is to be warmly received. The D&WW Chamber looks forward to further announcements in relation to commitment of funding, and the development of additional educational disciplines in a vibrant environment to guarantee students are attracted to TUSE.
