Tender documents have been issued by Tipperary County Council for the design of the proposed Youth and Further Education & Training Centre to be based at Dan Breen House in Tipperary Town. The project is a collaboration between Tipperary County Council, Youth Work Ireland Tipperary, and Tipperary Education & Training Board, and is supported by the Tipperary Town Revitalisation Task Force as a priority action under the Tipperary Town Revitalisation Strategy & Action plan to 2035.
The project will aim to provide the infrastructure to support a range of youth programmes and education and training opportunities in Tipperary Town and will target supports towards people from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds in particular. Research carried out by the Task Force shows that Tipperary suffers from very high levels of disadvantage relative to other comparable towns, with early school leaving and subsequent low educational attainment being a significant barrier for people trying to access the labour market. This new facility in the town will allow for greatly enhanced service and education and training provision and will be a cornerstone in the efforts to address a myriad of socioeconomic issues that prevail in Tipperary Town.
Dan Breen House, spanning approximately 12,000 sq. ft is believed to have been constructed circa 1900 and is a Protected Structure. The building served as civic offices but has been vacant for several years and needs substantial refurbishment and modernisation.
Anthony Coleman, Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel Municipal District Administrator said, ‘the appointment of a multi-disciplinary consultancy team will bring the project to shovel readiness through preliminary design, planning process including public consultation, detailed design and preparation of tender documentation, prior to the project team applying for capital funding to deliver a modern Youth and Further Education and Training Centre at Dan Breen House.’
Speaking about the proposed development at Dan Breen House, Colin Cummins, Director of Further Education and Training with Tipperary ETB said “we are very much committed to what is an exciting development in Tipperary Town. By providing a wide range of youth services and education and training opportunities, the proposed Youth and Further Education & Training Centre at Dan Breen House will offer young people and adults from Tipperary Town a range of new pathways to employment or to higher education. I have no doubt that the development of the centre will contribute very significantly to a very bright future for the town and we look forward to working with Youth Service Ireland Tipperary, Tipperary County Council and the Revitalisation Task Group to open a new chapter in the life of what is a landmark building in Tipperary.”
The progression of this project to design stage follows on from the recent completion of the Tipperary ETB Construction Skills Training Centre in the town. The Centre on the Bansha Road will offer courses in high demand trades such as dry lining, plastering, retrofit skills and pre-apprenticeships. The centre was officially opened by Minister for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins TD on Monday, June 20th.
Photo Credit Mary Margaret Photos
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