Anger as carpentry courses axed

THE Institute of Technology (IT) Blanchardstown, which boasts one of Europe’s most advanced carpentry workshops with equipment worth around e1.5 million, will no longer offer carpentry and joinery courses to apprentices.

The bizarre situation is as a result of cutbacks at the Higher Education Authority (HEA), which has resulted in Dublin losing two of its three carpentry and joinery apprentice programmes.

Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) will also no longer offer its carpentry and joinery apprentice course leaving just Dun Laoghaire VEC as the only option for those wishing to learn the trade.

The controversial decision has been described as

“outlandish and nonsensical

?, particularly in light of the fact that 25 per cent of all the country’s apprentices are recruited from Dublin.

The HEA has significantly reduced its apprentice programmes due to a dramatic decline in demand for courses as a result of the collapse in the construction industry.

However, the education authority has been heavily criticised in relation to its selection process for course rationalisation.

Richie Ryan, who has been a carpentry and joinery lecturer in IT Blanchardstown for 10 years, said he was

“absolutely shocked

? to learn that the state-of-the-art facility would no longer offer apprentice courses.

“We have one of the best equipped workshops not just in Ireland but in Europe,

? he told Northside People.

“I fully accept that there is a need to cut back on the number of apprentice courses offered due to a decline in demand but I thought that IT Blanchardstown would have been safe because of its top class facility, how high our catchment area is and because of the fact that one quarter of all apprentices come from Dublin.

“Undoubtedly we will now have a case that apprentices will have to travel outside of the county to do carpentry courses because the demand in Dublin is far higher than the rest of the country.

?

Local TD Patrick Nulty (Lab), who recently visited the facility, described the decision to cease the carpentry and joinery courses as

“wrong and inexplicable

?.

“The quality of the equipment is superb and I believe the HEA must review this decision,

? he stated.

“I will raise this issue directly with the Department of Education and I am calling on the HEA to review their position and prevent an excellent facility from closing.

?

A spokesperson for IT Blanchardstown said the decision to cease the carpentry and joinery courses in its facility was taken by the HEA.

“It is outside of our control,

? she told Northside People.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the HEA claimed that IT Blanchardstown had been involved in the decision making process and was aware of the criteria involved in the rationalisation of courses.

“Annual intake of apprentices has reduced from an average of 8,300 to an average of 1,250 per annum,

? the HEA spokesperson said.

“In addition, the most recent forecasts do not show sufficient gains, up to 2017, to maintain current provision.

“There will simply not be enough students to populate existing programmes.

“It is not a desire on our part to rationalise courses but if there is very limited demand it is a waste of taxpayers’ money to continue to offer the same number of courses at the same number of institutions, as was the case during the time of the boom.

“All institutes were aware from previous correspondence, direct consultation and recruitment statistics that it was necessary for the HEA to reduce and rationalise apprentice provision. This includes IT Blanchardstown.

?

The HEA said it had carefully examined the current provision in each institute and accordingly it had revised the allocations taking account of declining enrolments, regional provision and institutional positions.

Nationally, a total of seven programmes will cease from this September.

“Depending on recruitment patterns further trades will be rationalised from September 2013,

? the HEA spokesperson added.