The first official headquarters for the Engineering Technology Teachers Association is due to open in Dundalk.
STEM teaching in post-primary and Further Education and Training (FET) is due to get a boost with the establishment of new teaching headquarters in Dundalk.
The new Engineering Technology Teachers Association (ETTA) headquarters will be located at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence (AMTCE).
A memorandum of understanding was signed this morning, which will see Dundalk become the national centre for teaching STEM, the name that's collectively given to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Under the new arrangement, teachers will study and liase in the centre with leading personnel in the sectors to develop expertise.
The development will assist in projecting Ireland as a leading country for science and technology innovation.
The AMTCE will also provide active support for ETTA projects that encourage post-primary and FET learners to engage with advance manufacturing, STEM, IT, and other related subject areas.
Louth/Meath Education Training Board CEO Martin O’Brien said the new centre will contribute hugely to creating the next generation of top-class Irish engineers.
“What this centre will do is it will enable our young people to experience advanced manufacturing, to take that up as a career, to present themselves to those kind of courses at third level,” he said.
“Then industry can become more lean, more efficient, be able to withstand the global shocks and become more sustainable.”
"Together, we will explore joint funding opportunities and the launching and promotion of initiatives in our schools and further education that will increase access and participation in engineering and technology initiatives.”
