Remarks at the official opening of the Moate Business College New Arts Studios
Westmeath, 8 February 2012
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo in bhur measc inniu chun páirt a ghlacadh i do cheiliúradh ar 20 bliain de Moate Business College agus d'oscailt oifigiúil de do chuid áiseanna nua.
It gives me great pleasure to be here today in Moate to join you all in celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Moate Business College and also to mark the official opening of your splendid new facilities; three new art classrooms, a computer studies room and a first aid/manual handling classroom will continue to enhance the education opportunities available to current and future students of the College. I would like to thank Brendan Daly, Director of Moate Business College for his kind invitation to attend today’s events and both Brendan and Kevin Duffy, Principal of Moate Community School for their warm welcome.
When I look around me today at this busy, thriving college with over five hundred full time, and many more part time, students it is difficult to believe that just two decades ago Moate Business College was a small and modest establishment catering for just forty learners. Since then, it has become a solid foundation in the lives of the many, many people who owe a huge debt to this place; a debt which saw their career choices expand, their minds become open to new options, and their confidence soar as exams were passed, qualifications received and yet another important corner in life’s journey was successfully turned.
Plato has said that ‘The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life.’ It is always hugely encouraging to visit a college like this one and to realise how much more accessible education has become in this country, determining a better future for so many people. It is not that long ago that the opportunity to complete secondary school was an unachievable dream for a huge proportion of Ireland’s young people, while a further education was unheard of, the preserve of a very privileged elite.
Today, not only do many, many more students sit their leaving certificate every year, but our views and definition of post secondary education have broadened considerably. The role of further education institutes has now become multi-faceted with a comprehensive range of options available for an ever growing and more diverse student body. Further education is now increasingly being seen as, not solely a wonderful means of broadening the mind, but also as a tool that can help equip us to cope with the vicissitudes of our everyday life, to build anew, to strengthen our local communities, and to face challenges with confidence and determination.
There can be no doubt that we are currently living through a difficult and economically critical time; a time when we need to focus on building a common shared future based on a collective will and real participation in every aspect of the public world. Difficult though it can be, this is a time when we need to use our vision to see beyond the darkness of unemployment, emigration, bankrupt businesses and the shattered dreams of so many citizens and to realise we are still a people of limitless possibilities; a creative, dynamic and generous people open to new paradigms of thought and action.
Economic development and competitiveness are driven by knowledge and it is essential that our economy not only continues to grow, but that it adapts to the needs of a knowledge society. As we navigate our way out of recession and move forward to better times we need to ensure that we continue to build an adaptable and flexible workforce, willing and able to meet the changing demands and opportunities provided by the knowledge economy and by a global marketplace. The world of work is changing and choices are made more often in a lifetime as to how to live and work. It is interesting to see the renewed interest in agri-business, cultural industries, music and technology. Lifelong learning and the facilitation of re-skilling and up-skilling are crucial elements in the modern age. We need an educated workforce to be our strength and continue to push us forward and enrich our social, cultural and economic development. Further education, the building up and maximisation of our skills and human resource and the promotion of lifelong learning is one of the most important tools available to us as we reconstruct, rebuild and craft the future for a better Ireland.
Albert Einstein once said that ‘I never teach my pupils: I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn’. Here at Moate Business College you have, for the last two decades, been providing those conditions, looking outward as you constantly respond to the needs and challenges of a modern and ever changing society. This is a College that continues to evolve and develop and I wish you every success as you continue your important work.
I would like to conclude by congratulating all those who have helped to form and shaped the ethos of Moate Business College. Some of you were involved in its establishment and some of you have been key players in guiding it through the many shifts and changes we have seen in society in the last two decades. Whatever your role has been in the history of the College, I know you are all united in a great pride at all it has achieved, and how much it has done for students in the midlands since its establishment in 1991.
Ba mhaith liom críoch a chur leis seo agus comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leo siúd a chuir go mór le héiteas Choláiste Gnó an Mhóta. Bhí baint ag cuid agaibh le bunú an Choláiste agus bhí ról tábhachtach ag cuid agaibh le treorú an choláiste trí na hathruithe atá feicthe againn sa sochaí le linn an dá dheichbhliain is déanaí. Cibé ról a bhí agat maidir le stair an Choláiste, tá a fhios agam go bhfuil sibh uilig ar aon intinn agus bródúil as an méid atá bainte amach ag an gColáiste agus an méid atá déanta aige ar son a chuid mac léinn i lár na tíre ó bunaíodh é sa bhliain 1991.
To the Management, Staff, Students and the entire community, I would like to say that it has been a privilege to join your celebrations here today. I wish you the best of luck, and many successful and productive years in Moate Business College.
Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.