Moate Business College's 20th anniversary is marked

The creative industries present huge opportunities for growth and employment for young people in Moate in the years ahead, President Michael D. Higgins stressed in a message of hope and optimism during a visit to Moate Business College last week to mark its 20th anniversary. A great air of celebration and pride pervaded every part of facility on Wednesday, as staff and students welcomed the President in huge numbers on his first visit to the local area since his inauguration. After a short viewing of the work of the art students, he stressed in a relaxed and witty speech the value of the creative industries right down to the local level. "The one thing I'm certain of, is rather like the developments in music or other forms of the arts, is that when you recognise and make firm things at the local level, the community level, that you have a sure base to take off from to the real advantages." Creative industries are responsible for about 3% of world trade, he told the audience and in the EU alone 5.6 million people work in this area in one way or the other, across the spectrum, from painting, the arts, music and dance. The turnover in the EU is €624 billion. Much of this he acknowledged is from larger companies but, at the same time he said smaller firms are emerging and creating very good employment, something he enthused can be replicated in places like Moate, pointing out that Ballyfermot has become known for animation and rock music which has taken people there as far as the Oscars. "The growth rate in creative industries is 12.7% faster than any other sector in the EU. It's a very rich area in terms of potential. It's also an area where a lot young people are coming into and doing new things," President Higgins said, praising the tutors in Moate for all of their hard work and the part they play in the process. He went on to praise the standard of artistic work in Moate and the history of education in the town, particularly of vocational education, and the practical level of cooperation between all the parties since the amalgamation back in 1991 to give opportunities for local people to develop. "I think it's a great record you have, moving from 40 students, 150 in three years and to 500 at the present time. The other part of it that I think is very important is we have to realise is that while it is important to be a consumer in our world and while it is important to be useful, it is even more important to develop as a person and as a citizen and I'm so glad there will be more opportunities available for men and women who want to do these things," he continued, adding that people are learning all the days of their lives and that's what creativity is all about. On the future, the President concluded with a message of optimism that raised the cheers and claps of the large audience present. "I think myself there was a decade and half where there was probaby a move towards valuating people in terms of what they were presumed to have rather than what they were presumed to be. We are moving into decades where it will be very important for us to celebrate together our interdependency, the solidarity we need to express together and the optimism, not blind optimism, but the real hope that is there for the creativity and energy of our people."