By Conor Sharkey
LOCAL MLA Claire McGill and MP Pat Doherty will travel to Stormont next week to express their growing concern at the lack of Further Education facilities in the Strabane area.
The Sinn Fein delegation will meet with Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) Permanent Secretary Aideen Mc Ginley on Tuesday to discuss what they describe as the "short changing" of Strabane with regard to Further Education investment and provision.
Following a tour of the Derry Road campus in February this year, it was agreed that a new facility should be pursued immediately. However it has emerged that capital funding for such a project will not become available until 2011.
This statistic, coupled with a number of factors, needs addressing if Strabane students are to get a fair crack of the educational whip according to Assembly Employment and Learning Committee member Claire McGill.
"It has long been acknowledged that Strabane Technical College on the Derry Road which has acted as the central location for the delivery of Further Education courses in the District since the 1950's is in need of major capital investment so as to make it 'fit for purpose' especially in terms of providing modern workshop facilities," Mrs McGill said.
"Given the inadequate facilities in Strabane compared to the state of the Art Further Education facilities in our neighbouring towns of Derry, Omagh and Limavady and given the promises from DEL following the closure of Adria and Herdman's that additional resources would be made available to improve FE provision and associated facilities in Strabane, it would have been expected that major capital investment in Strabane would have been a priority.
"However, as it stands at the moment there is no capital investment earmarked for Strabane in DEL's Corporate Plan up until 2011. This is despite the fact that the Economic Appraisal commissioned by the then North West Institute and which concluded that the option of a new build on the existing site was economically the best one possible has been with DEL for consideration and earmarking of necessary Funds since June 2006," Mrs McGill explained.
A further damning statistic reveals that at present Strabane campus is capable of providing less than one tenth the number of full-time courses offered by Limavady, despite a similar District Council area population.
This too will be brought to the DEL's Permanent Secratary's attention next week, Mrs McGIll said.
"The continuing failure to deliver 'fit for purpose' Further Education facilities for Strabane is undoubtedly linked to the under provision of Further Education courses in the District. For example, in response to a written question to the Minister, I have learned that at the Strabane campus of the North West Regional College, there were only had three full time Further Education courses on offer in 2007/08 compared to 152 in Derry campus and 52 in Limavady.
"As a result of the non-provision of most Further Education courses locally, the majority of local students are being forced to attend other Further Education Colleges particularly in Derry and Omagh.
"A vibrant Further Education sector is recognised as an essential element in economic development and regeneration and it is imperative that Strabane has both the facilities and courses available tailored to meet the needs of the local economy. For example, we need to see a situation whereby a wide range of Further Education courses relating to the construction and retail industries are delivered in Strabane as well niche or specialised courses not available elsewhere.
"Strabane District is being considerably short changed in terms of Further Education investment and provision and I will be accompanying the local MP Pat Doherty to a meeting with DEL Permanent Secretary next Tuesday as part of a continuing lobby to have the situation addressed," the MLA added.
