This Thursday, the Minister for Education and Science will travel to Portlaoise to officially open the town's new education centre. Tony Mahon, director of the centre, says: "We have worked with a wide range of organisations, departments and individuals to ensure that this centre delivered a quality provision." Over the past 10 years the centre has provided courses for almost 2,000 teachers. Its new split-level headquarters has meeting/seminar rooms, a library, a research base and administration areas.

In the past year the centre has provided a range of in-service courses on music in primary schools, IT and the Internet, the Stay Safe programme, substance abuse prevention and gender equality. It has also been involved in a range of projects with EU partners in Austria, Greece, Denmark and Iceland. The centre has co-ordinated and organised the in-service provision for the revised Leaving Cert English syllabus.