Kilkenny community education providers to receive funding

Community education projects in Kilkenny  have received funding under the Mitigating against Educational Disadvantage Fund. The projects will be funded from an overall fund of €6.5 million which was announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD. The fund is administered by SOLAS, the Further Education and Training Authority and the 16 local Education and Training Boards.

The aim of the fund is to support community education for adult learners, who have the highest level of need, with a strong focus on building the digital infrastructure of community education providers to increase the capacity to deliver online learning. 

Kilkenny and Carlow funding recipients include: 

- KCAT Arts Centre
- Twilight Community Group
- Windgap Community Development
- Kilkenny Leader Partnership and Kilkenny PPN
- L’Arche Communities Callan
- IWA Kilkenny
-Camphill Initiatives for Social Ecology
- Kilkenny Leader Partnership
- Kilkenny County Library Service
- U Casadh
- Training and Support Kilkenny
- HSE Rehabilitation and Recovery Kilkenny
-Family Carers Ireland (Carlow and Kilkenny)
-La Nua Community Employment Drug Rehabilitation Scheme
-Barrow Valley Community Development
- Mill Family Resource Centre
 

The projects vary from programmes to help support online learning, connect communities, and providing social support to vulnerable people.  Also commenting on the Fund was Eileen Curtis, Chief Executive of Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (ETB), which provides, supports and co-ordinates community education in Kilkenny and Carlow: “It is great to see so many diverse and local community education providers receive funding to continue their vital work. Many of our community education providers are taking an innovative approach to ensure that nobody is left behind now that so much of our everyday lives are conducted online, whether learning, socialising, or working. 

“We look forward to continuing to support the strong tradition of community education throughout Kilkenny and Carlow as we move through 2022 and hopefully to more positive times in the future. All funding received is now supporting learners as they engage with community education provision in their locality, at a pace and time that suits them.”

Commenting on the announcement of the recipients, Andrew Brownlee, CEO of SOLAS, said: “We are delighted to have funded a range of Kilkenny and Carlow community education services under the new Mitigating against Educational Disadvantage Fund. Covid-19 has had a huge impact on how education is delivered, with so much of our learning now taking place online. 

“Those in society who are furthest removed from education through social disadvantage have been the most adversely impacted by the move online, either by a lack of digital literacy, or through a lack of IT hardware and software. Through the Fund, we are supporting community education providers to continue delivering their much-needed services, and to ensure that all sectors of society are remaining connected and supported to continue their learning journeys.” 

 For further information on the Mitigating against Educational Disadvantage Fund, visit www.solas.ie