Published: Wednesday, 1st September, 2010 5:00pm

AIT's role must be protected

As the book opens on another academic year, Athlone IT is again reporting a surge in demand for full-time college places.

The local institute took in a record number of 1,400 new students last September and its level of first year enrolment this month is expected to be similar.

As a result, it's believed that the number of full-time students studying at AIT during the coming academic year will represent an all-time high.

While student numbers alone don't reveal the complete picture, they do give a sense of how far the local third level institute has come since it was founded, as Athlone Regional Technical College, 40 years ago.

The significant level of enrolment in Athlone IT courses by mature students also gives an indication of the hunger for training and upskilling among those whose jobs may have been affected by the economic downturn.

The campus has grown massively during the course of the last decade, with impressive new facilities such as the Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Building (opened in 2003), the Midlands Innovation and Research Centre (opened in 2005) and the newest arrival, a €36 million Engineering and Informatics Building which will be used for the first time during this academic year.

Its sporting facilities have expanded also, with additions like the new Olympic-standard running track and a full-size, all-weather soccer pitch.

The fact that Athlone has a third level institute on its doorstep has been a key factor in bringing jobs from multinational companies in pharmaceutical and other sectors to the midlands.

The AIT's student population brings energy and vibrancy, as well as economic boost, to the town.

The standard of the institute's sporting facilities secured the National Finals of the Community Games for Athlone.

And of course, the ready supply of highly qualified graduates from AIT has helped to attract a number of high-quality foreign direct investments to the wider Midlands region.

Despite these successes, institutes such as AIT are seeing their funding allocations from the State come under increasing pressure.

Just last week, the National Strategy Group for Higher Education reported that the current funding of third level was "unsustainable."

It stated that the higher education system requires a major injection of up to €500 million per year to cope with record demand and meet Government targets for the economy.

As the Government pumps billions into a toxic bank, it can't afford to lose sight of the fact that a strong educational system is key to a strong economy.

If the recession is to be banished and the country's economy is to change course then the valuable work done by facilities such as Athlone IT will be central to that revival.

The increasing student numbers underline both its popularity and its importance to the future growth of the region.

We should all be thankful for its presence and continued vitality.