AS construction of the Mid West’s first engineering-focused higher education campus gets underway at the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) site in Coonagh, Education Minister Richard Bruton has confirmed that €11.6 million has been provided to deliver phase one of the project.
Work has already begun on the brownfield site on the north side of the city and comprises the full fit out of more than 5,000 square metres of previously unused space with state of the art teaching, learning and research facilities. This will provide an additional 542 places on LIT’s engineering courses with the first students expected to be on campus next September.
The work at Coonagh marks the beginning of a €150 million investment across LIT’s six campuses – Moylish and Clare Street in Limerick; Thurles and Clonmel in Tipperary; Coonagh and Ennis in Clare.
Designed to provide agility of use, the Coonagh campus will go beyond what is traditionally expected from an educational institution. It will facilitate industry leaders to meet and share ideas as well as allowing companies to use the diverse spaces for training courses and seminars.
The building will provide for the education and practical training of industry-ready personnel through its undergraduate and post graduate courses, flexible training, traditional and new apprenticeships including the much acclaimed degree apprenticeships.
While focusing primarily on engineering, the campus will also provide student-centred amenities and resources that will benefit all LIT students.
LIT President, Professor Vincent Cunnane described the new campus as a critical piece of infrastructure not just for LIT but for Limerick and the Mid West region.
“The Coonagh campus will be the first major piece of infrastructure on the Northern Distributor Road, essentially the start of Limerick’s “Knowledge Corridor” that will help sustain the economic development of the Mid-West into the future.”
“We are working closely with local industry to ensure Coonagh will also be the first port of call for business leaders and companies seeking out graduates with specific skill sets, up-skilling employees, and assisting with research that will ensure this region remains at the forefront of mechanical and electrical engineering development for decades to come.
“Coonagh will provide the research and educational support to the industry that much of the region’s economic growth is predicated on, while strengthening LIT’s role as an economic generator at the heart of Ireland’s fastest-growing regional economy,” said Prof Cunnane.
“The new campus will provide exemplary education and research space and I am looking forward to its doors opening in time for the next academic year,” the LIT President concluded.
