€4.9m funding for Film and Digital Media Centre of Excellence

Film and Digital Media Centre of Excellence – Simon Harris TD pictured above fourth from left at the announcement. Picture: Keith Wiseman

Film and Digital Media Centre will allow the ETB to strengthen the links that already exist with Film in Limerick

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins TD have today announced significant investment to support the establishment of a new Film & Digital Media Centre of Excellence in Limerick.

This key project in Limerick forms part of a first phase of projects to be advanced under the national Further Education and Training (FET) Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund (SIUF).

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Speaking today, Minister Harris said: “Today marks another important day as we announce another key investment in regional further education and training provision.

“Earlier this year, while visiting Limerick, I announced the purchase of a property by Limerick and Clare ETB at Mulgrave St in Limerick City. 

“Today I am pleased to announce that the ETB has received approval in principle to upgrade that building and to create a new Film & Digital Media Centre of Excellence.

“This will allow the ETB to strengthen the links that already exist with ‘Film in Limerick’ and local industries, as a leading provider of film and digital media education and training in the Mid-West region. This is a key milestone in the strategic development of further education provision in the region.”

The Minister added: “I want to acknowledge the work of Limerick and Clare ETB in getting us to this stage. This investment announced today demonstrates their ongoing commitment to strengthening FET provision in Limerick and surrounding regions.

“This investment is part of a wider commitment to capital investment in tertiary education in Limerick, including a major electrical upgrade at the main College of Further Education and Training Mulgrave Street Campus building.

Minister Collins said: “This is another great day for this region, paving the way for delivering new training initiatives to help develop the local film sector and prepare aspiring and emerging filmmakers for employment in the screen industries.”

Funding for this project will be provided through SOLAS to the ETB.  The project announced today will now move forward to the appointment of a design team, with a view to development of a more detailed project brief in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

CEO of SOLAS, Andrew Brownlee, said: “Further Education & Training has a unique and special value both for learners and for our communities – and learners and communities in Limerick deserve cutting edge facilities and equipment.

“This announcement of capital funding is a welcome step that will mean that FET facilities there reflect the modern, dynamic nature of FET provision in 2022.

“The ambitious scale of vision set out in the national FET strategy, Future FET: Transforming Learning, is being met by suitably ambitious investment. This funding will enable nationally coordinated and strategic action that will form the foundation of FET Colleges of the Future; greatly expand capacity; build up our national skills portfolio; strengthen pathways through and from FET; and most importantly, best serve the FET learners of today and tomorrow. This investment in capital is an investment in the future of FET – and most importantly, an investment in the future of the many learners in the Limerick and Clare region that it will directly benefit.”

George O Callaghan, Chief Executive of Limerick and Clare ETB said: “I welcome the significant announcement by the Minister today. Limerick and Clare ETB is at the heart of developing the film and TV sector in the region and its work with Film in Limerick, Troy Studios and Screen Ireland has already allowed new entrants to train and upskill and gain employment on several studio and location productions. Key to developing the sector is the need to bridge the gap from education to industry and the new space at Mulgrave Street will create a focus and mechanism to allow this to happen. Once developed, the Centre of Excellence is expected to accommodate approximately 250 course-specific learners, accommodated across several courses – Film & TV Production; Music Technology; Photography; Creative Digital Media; Animation and Computer Game Design.’’

For more information on LCFE, go HERE

For more film stories, go HERE