Institute will help drive Tipperary out of downturn – Padraig Culbert

The CEO of Tipperary Institute (TI), Mr Padraig Culbert, has today, Tuesday, 21 July 2009, predicted a bright and lasting future for the institute, stating that he is fully confident that TI will be one of the key economic drivers for the county in the years ahead.

 

Despite the recommendations in the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes, Mr Culbert said that there is not a shred of doubt that Tipperary Institute is here to stay and he is looking forward to its continued growth over the coming years and decades.

 

“Tipperary Institute is here to stay, have no doubt about that. We are disappointed with the recommendations in the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes but we are in no way daunted by it. We are, instead, looking forward to and concentrating on the new academic year, for which we have had record CAO applications for courses. We are also commencing the next phase of our development with the launch of our first Masters Degree course, as well as additional new courses, so this is an extremely exciting growth period for Tipperary Institute.

 

“Student numbers will break the 1,000 mark for the first time here next year and we have huge political backing for the Institute, with local, national and European representatives all fully cognisant of the vital contribution Tipperary Institute is making to the local economy.

 

“Quite simply, the recommendation for Tipperary Institute in the report simply does not add up when you analyse the return on investment from TI, from both and educational and economic perspective. First and foremost, the recommendation flies completely in the face of the internationally proven policy, adopted by our Government, of utilising third level education to be one of the corner stones of economic recovery.

 

“I believe that there was no proper economic analysis done in relation to the Tipperary Institute recommendation. The Government’s grant to the Institute this year is €8.9m When repayments to the Government in the forms of PAYE, PRSI and VAT are accounted for, the actual expenditure by the Government is closer to €4.9m, which is a mere one quarter of one percent of the third level spend in Ireland today. Furthermore, when internationally respected studies into the economic value of third level institutions in rural and regional settings like Tipperary (Regional USA, Canada, Wales, Scotland, Australia) are applied, a conservative estimate suggests that TI is worth €35M annually to the county.

 

“The report does not make any reference to the very impressive trend of growth in student numbers at TI, which saw a 100% increase in the first year intake last September alone and another 20% this September, which is significantly ahead of national trends. Student numbers next year are predicted to break the 1,000 mark for the first time and this is a dramatic increase on the figures relied on in making the recommendation. Indeed, if the current rate of increase for student intake continues, it could, resources permitting, result in a full-time student body approaching 1,000 in fewer than three years,” he continued.

 

“The benefit to the economy in the current downturn is also very much in evidence from the fact that 38% of those attending Tipperary Institute are mature students, compared with a national average of 10%.  The Live Register figures for County Tipperary for last year showed an increase of nearly 7,000. There is therefore a major requirement for up-skilling for those made redundant, which is reflected in the current high volume of inquiries for the Institutes courses.  It is also worth noting that two thirds of the Institute’s students come from the county.

 

“Third level education in the County is also essential if we are to attract Foreign Direct Investment.  The development of indigenous entrepreneurs and high potential start-ups is also very much supported by Tipperary Institute, as is the ability of local business to innovate through such measures as Innovation Vouchers from Enterprise Ireland.  The bottom line is that there has and always will be  a clear need for Tipperary Institute and our focus continues to be on delivering the best possible education to our current and future students.”