Starting from the forthcoming year, six fresh degree schemes in areas of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy will be rolled out. This initiative will potentially alleviate the stress on Central Applications Office (CAO) points for popular courses. It’s common for entry points for many of these courses to exceed 600 points. In fact, over recent years, due to the overflow of top-scoring applicants, places have often been designated via lottery.
Patrick O’Donovan, the Minister for Higher and Further Education, revealed the release of €130 million from the National Training Fund, targeted at rectifying significant workforce deficits nationwide. From the next year onwards, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) will receive backing for a novel Bachelor of Dental Surgery, adding 20 new spots for Irish or EU students in dentistry.
New pharmacy courses will be introduced by the Atlantic Technological University, the South East Technological University, and the University of Galway. This move will effectively duplicate the number of pharmacy instruction programmes throughout Ireland, ultimately generating over 150 extra pharmacy graduates annually when fully expanded.
The University of Galway will also offer a unique “rural and remote graduate entry” conduits to medical studies, addressing the scarcity of general practitioners in the rural Irish regions by contributing 48 new medical slots each year upon total expansion.
Moreover, the University of Limerick (UL) will pioneer a direct-entry medical programme, leveraging its prior expertise in giving access to graduate-level medical studies.
At the formal unveiling event held at UL, Mr O’Donovan stated the new roles hold the promising prospect to “transform our higher education environment” and “grant students more chances to explore their healthcare and medical interests”.
He mentioned there is scope for future growth to satisfy healthcare requirements. “We are just getting started: this is merely the initial stage of development,” he noted. “My team is co-operating with the Higher Education Authority and the higher education sector to promote the next phase of enlargement to address the demands of the public sector and our nation.”
Dr Alan Wall, the head of the Higher Education Authority, has stated that recent announcements prove the adaptability of the higher education and research system in swiftly and efficiently addressing the changing national priorities and skills requirements.
These newly announced courses are integral to a wider strategy to augment education in veterinary and healthcare sectors, ensuring a continuous flow of proficient professionals to serve Ireland’s burgeoning population.
There has been a significant surge in the capacity for health and social care programmes in the recent past, driven by the government. This growth includes an agreement for 2022 with Irish medical schools to introduce an extra 60 slots for Irish and EU students, progressing towards a target of a yearly increase of 200 spots by 2026.
Furthermore, a noteworthy increment of 35% in training positions was declared earlier this year in areas such as speech and language therapy and occupational therapy. New courses have been introduced in several universities, including the University of Galway and the University of Limerick.