GMIT has admitted that following a review of programmes in all campuses some courses in Castlebar may have to be suspended because of the acute decline in the construction sector.
The college issued a statement following comments made on local radio last Friday.
College communications officer Regina Daly has stressed that no course has been discontinued but some have been suspended having regard to applications, enrolment, numbers, and employability of graduates within a reduced budget.
“Resources are being targeted at new areas where there is demand and new opportunities. In this respect a new course in social studies is to start in Castlebar in September 2009, and another in energy engineering in Galway,” Ms Daly outlined.
GMIT recently appointed Dr Deirdre Garvey to the Castlebar campus Lifelong Learning Centre which places emphasis on part-time provision to cater for new needs.
The institute is also launching a part-time initiative in Castlebar aimed at helping people who have recently become unemployed in the construction sector.
Mayo TD Beverley Flynn has called for the immediate restoration of the GMIT Castlebar liaison committee as a matter of urgency. The Castlebar based deputy has also called for a clear commitment on the future of the Castlebar GMIT Campus.
Dep Flynn said that in light of reports of a gradual downgrading of the Castlebar campus, it is vital that the town, the county, and the community should have a voice in the operations and future development of the college.
“The GMIT liaison committee was set up several years ago to foster close links between the town and the campus. Its membership consisted of elected representatives, members of the RTC Action Group, and the Mayo county manager,” she said.
