A former seminary in Wexford has emerged as the most likely location for the county's first full-scale third-level education facility. The Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey, said yesterday St Peter's College had been offered to the Department of Education and Science for use as a university or institute of technology outreach centre.
The Department announced plans recently to establish such centres throughout the State. Wexford was reported to be one of the towns most likely to benefit, but a spokeswoman for the Department said specific locations had not yet been identified.
Wexford's county manager, Mr Seamus Dooley, is to meet the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, next month.
The need for such a centre in Wexford was highlighted in a task force report published in March which said the county had the lowest rate of third-level participation in the State, and this was hampering its ability to attract high-tech industry.
The secondary school on the site stopped taking boarders four years ago, while the seminary there closed two years later.
Waterford and Carlow Institutes of Technology both made submissions to the task force about the prospect of establishing an outreach centre in Wexford. Carlow IT has already had a limited involvement with St Peter's, providing secretarial, computer and business courses there.
The deputy county manager, Mr Adrian Doyle, said the facility could be linked to a particular institution or could draw on a variety of degree-awarding bodies.
The Department spokeswoman said Dr Woods would consult third-level institutions as soon as he returned from holiday.
