The document outlines the historical development of regional technical colleges (RTCs) in Ireland, focusing on the establishment, purpose, and significant milestones from the 1960s to the 1970s. It highlights key figures, such as Jack Lynch and Patrick Hillery, and emphasizes the need for technical education to meet industrial demands. Additionally, it provides demographic insights into Dundalk's workforce and employment patterns over the decades.

1. The Origins of DkIT: The
history of the Regional
Technical Colleges

2. The 1960s in Ireland
5% unemployment (CSO 2018)
28% women were at work (CSO 2018)
47000 households had phones (Flynn 1998, p.205)
212003 net emigration (CSO 2018)
4% had a higher education (CSO 2018)
Picture taken from: (Flickr 2018)

3. 1960s Dundalk
55% of the town was employed. (Flynn 2000, p. 94) P. J. Carrolls tobacco factory
was the major employer within the town. (Flynn 2000, p.100) Clarks Shoe factory
was also a major employer with a peak of 1200 employees in 1972. (Flynn 2000,
p. 102)
Television began to come into the town. Although deemed a social evil by the
church, it still spread widely. Attendance at Catholic ceremonies went from nearly
being ubiquitous in the 1950s to nearly a quarter not attending confession. There
was a loss of interest in Irish politicians as celebrities. (Flynn 2000, p.110) They
were replaced by American and British pop stars in the popular imagination -
some played in the music halls in the town. (Flynn 2000, p.121)

4. Dundalk today
51% of women employed (CSO 2018)
11% unemployment. (CSO 2018)
41% have a third level education. (CSO 2018)
86% in ireland have a smartphone (Deloitte 2016, p.2)
3100 net emigration. (CSO 2016)
One of the major employers in Dundalk is Paypal which employs nearly 1700
people. (Newstalk 2013)

5. Ebay and PayPal joint headquarters (Newstalk
2013)

6. dkit.library@gmail.com
Television arrived in Dundalk.
(Wikimedia commons 2007)
The Catholic Church began losing its power in Dundalk.
(Flicker 2018)

7. P.J. Carrols Factory (Brand
New Retro 2012)
Clarks factory floor (Wikimedia
commons 2014)

8. Some artists who played in Dundalk in 1960s
Iggy Pop (Pinterest 2018) Roy Orbison (Wikipedia 2018)

9. Early 1960s
The Regional Technical Colleges were not a new idea in Ireland. Jack Lynch,
Minister of Education in 1957 and in the 1960s Taoiseach of Ireland, commenting
in 1957 noted that “we shall have to get more and more deeply involved in the
technological field and that could only be done by giving our vocational education
a technological and our university education a scientific and agricultural slant.”
(Thorn 2018, p.14)
Jack Lynch Minister for
Education (1957-1959)
Taoiseach (1966-73 and
77-79) (Wikimedia
commons 2015)

10. Role of the RTCs
Aim: “The purpose of this education is clear: Such technical college courses
should produce better educated and trained recruitment into industry as trainee
technicians. This better educated and trained recruit for industry would be able to
advance his theoretical knowledge and practical skills by further attendance at
courses.” (Thorn 2018, p.16)

11. Technological Colleges with Regional status
1963 Dr Patrick Hillery the Minister for Education announces the establishment of
Regional Technical Colleges. (Thorn 2018, p.20)
A Technical Schools Leaving Certificate was established which would be delivered
in a limited number of technological colleges with regional status. Successful
completion of the Technical Schools Leaving Certificate would fit the holder for (a)
entrance to certain university faculties or to advanced courses in a college of
technology with a view to a university degree or membership of a professional
institute and (b) further training in industry and/or in a college of technology for a
post as a technician or junior manager. (Thorn 2018, p.20)

12. Doctor
Patrick
Hillery,
Minister for
education,
1961.
(Wikipedia
2018)
Sean Lemass,
leader of 1961
government.
(Wikipedia
2018)

13. Beginnings in Louth
“On 11 February 1963, at a committee meeting, the Louth Vocational Education
Committee agreed a document entitled ‘proposals for the advancement of
Technical Education in County Louth to be submitted to the Department of
Education. In a document of one page, the committee laid out clearly the case for
a regional technical college as part of the provision for progression beyond the
group certificate examination: It is time to consider the introduction of a third or
fourth year course into technical school programmes...such a course might be
provided at regional technical colleges.” (Thorn 2018, p.16)

14. Offices of the Vocational Education Committee in Dundalk (Google Street View 2018)

15. In 1966 Donogh O'Malley, Minister for Education, established a Steering
Committee on Technical Education to advise on the Regional Technical Colleges.
As O’Malley stated “I'm ready to go on the technology colleges that were talked
about by Paddy Hillery… but nobody knows what to do nobody is telling me what
to do, now I have a consortium of architects and quantity surveyors and consulting
engineers all set up to go and they're giving a twenty percent or so cut in their fees
and I want to move in on this, but nobody would tell me exactly what size of
college do we want, how many rooms would be in them, what kind of rooms, how
many students would go through, what kind of courses they should be doing, can
you help in that.” (Thorn 2018, p.25)

16. Minister of Education Donogh O’Malley (Irish Historian 2016)

17. The Steering Committee on Technical Education was set up on 20th September 1966 and was
given the following terms of reference: “To advise the minister generally on technical education. In
particular, on behalf of the minister, to provide the Department of Education Building Consortium
with a brief for the technical college.” (Steering Committee on Technical Education 1967, p.5)
They believed that they were needed as “Irish people generally have not had the opportunity to
become technically skilled and the academic bias in the educational system has not helped.”
(Steering Committee on Technical Education 1967, p.7)
They recommended the establishment of a National Council for Educational Awards, “responsible
for (i) setting standards of admission to, and qualification from, courses in technical education, (ii)
Approving examination syllabus and appropriate courses provided in Regional Colleges or other
technical schools, (iii) awarding certificates and diplomas to those successful in approved
examinations and (iv) negotiating reciprocal recognition of equivalent qualifications with other
countries. In the course of our deliberations we were repeatedly faced with problems arising from
the sparseness of information on which adequate projections of the likely demand for places in the
Regional Technical Colleges and of demand by industry and other sectors for the products of the
colleges could be based.” (Steering Committee on Technical Education 1967, p.8)
Steering Committee on Technical Education Report

18. (Steering Committee on Technical Education 1967)

19. Vision of the RTCs
We believe that the main long-term function of the colleges will be to educate for trade and industry over a
broad spectrum of occupations ranging from craft to professional level, notably in engineering and science
but also in commercial, linguistic and other specialties. They will, however, be more immediately
concerned with providing courses aimed at filling groups in the industrial manpower structure, particularly
in the technician area. For reasons outlined later, we also consider that the regional colleges should cater
for certain types of senior cycle post-primary education. (Steering Committee on Technical Education
1967, p.11)
If we are to make their most effective contribution to the needs of society and the economy we must be
capable of continuing adaptation to social, economic and technological changes. (Steering Committee on
Technical Education 1967, p.11)

20. The Steering Committee stated
“We feel very strongly that regional technical colleges should be seen as a new
concept operating under new institutional arrangements.” (Thorn 2018, p. 34)
"Each of the nine colleges will be run by a regional board on which local interests,
including local industrial interests and Vocational Education Committees, and the
Minister for Education will have representation. The intention is, of course, to
emphasise the regional character of the colleges.” (House of the Oireachtas 2018)

21. Photo of DkIT building c1975

22. Autumn 1969: first students enroll in 4 colleges, Athlone (50), Carlow (47),
Dundalk (92) and Waterford (96). (Thorn 2018, p.42)
1970-1972: Colleges open in Waterford, Carlow, Dundalk, Athlone, Sligo,
Letterkenny and Galway. (Thorn 2018, p.45)
In terms of staff recruitment, there was centralised recruitment with successful
candidates choosing where to work. (Thorn 2018, p.45)
1973: Higher Education Authority on a visit to the RTCs noted poor library
facilities. (Thorn 2018, p.46 )

23. Chronology
● 1957- Jack Lynch Minister of Education speaks of the need for higher level technical education.
● 1963- Doctor Patrick Hillery Minister for Education, announces the establishment of the Regional Technical
Colleges (RTCs)
● 1963- County Louth Vocational Education Committee (VEC) proposes the establishment of an RTC in
Dundalk.
● 1964- OECD report about training of technicians in Ireland. 1966- OECD survey on technical education:
investment in ireland.
● 1966- OECD survey on technical education : investment in education.
● 1966- Steering Committee on Technical Education established.
● 1967- Steering Committee on Technical Education report.
● 1969- Brian Lenihan Minister for Education states that VECs will be responsible for managing RTCs.
● 1969- Higher Education Authority recommend that a council for national awards be established to grant
awards in the RTCS.
● 1970- Colleges open in Sligo, Carlow, Athlone, Waterford and Dundalk.

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