A low level of participation by young people from Co Offaly in third-level education has prompted efforts to secure a third-level college for the county.
Latest figures show Offaly school-leavers accounted for only 1.4 per cent of all students enrolled at third-level colleges in the State for the 1999-2000 academic year, placing Offaly seventh from the bottom of 26 counties for participation levels in third-level education.
Lower levels of participation were found in Cos Laois, Longford, Leitrim, Carlow, Cavan and Monaghan, according to Higher Education Authority statistics.
The drive to get a third-level institute in the county is also spurred by the need to attract more employers to Offaly, which has suffered significant job losses in the past year with the closure in particular of Lowe Alpine in Tullamore.
Mr Jack Keyes, director of community and enterprise with Offaly County Council, said the presence of a third-level facility would be a selling point for the county and attract industry.
He confirmed that a number of preliminary meetings had taken place with third-level colleges in the State with a view to having them establish outreach educational institutes in Offaly. "Our proposals were positively received, but a lot of work remains to be done," he said.
Mr Keyes would not name the colleges which had been approached, but it is believed one was the Athlone Institute of Technology, the only third-level college in the midlands.
He said a specialist working group had been set up to look at education and lifelong learning in Co Offaly as part of the drafting of a county development strategy. Its draft plan will be published later this summer.
Commenting on the attendance figures by young people from Offaly at third level, Mr Keyes said they were lower than he would like. The absence of a college in the county also meant those who did opt to go to third level left Offaly and more often than not did not come back.
Mr Tommy McKeigue, a councillor for the Tullamore area, said the importance of a college for Offaly was recently outlined to the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney, by a deputation from the county concerned about more job creation.