Minister for Education and Skills announces revised mergers of Vocational Education Committees (VECs)

Confirmation that the number of VECs will be reduced to sixteen.

Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn T.D. announced today that the Government had approved a revised reconfiguration of the Vocational Education Committees system. 

Announcing the decision, Minister Quinn said, “I am pressing ahead with the work on restructuring the VEC system. I was prepared to take a fresh look at how best to bring about a reduction in the number of VECs and gave considerable weight to a submission made to me by the IVEA who had expressed concerns regarding the configuration decided by the previous Government”

Today’s decision confirms that the number of VECs will be reduced to 16 but involves different mergers to those previously announced.

“I believe the set of mergers approved by the Government today is more appropriate” said the Minister.

“For example the peripheral position of Kerry is now recognised, the merger of the two Tipperary VECs will be more cohesive in a county context and the merger of Cork City and County VECs aligns the position in Cork with that planned for Limerick, Waterford and Galway,” explained the Minister.

Minister Quinn also indicated that legislation to bring about the changes was being prepared and that it would involve the consolidation of the provisions of the existing nine Vocational Acts into one new bill.

“This new bill will reflect the important role which these new entities will play in relation to education and training in the future,” added the Minister.

 
The sixteen revised VEC areas are as follows (see maps attached also):

• City of Dublin 
• City of Cork  and Co. Cork
• Co. Dublin and Dun Laoghaire  
• City of Limerick, Co. Limerick and Co. Clare
• Co. Donegal
• Co. Kerry
• Co. Tipperary North and South
• City of Waterford, Co. Waterford and Co. Wexford
• City of Galway, Co. Galway  and Co. Roscommon
• Co. Mayo, Co. Sligo and Co. Leitrim
• Co. Cavan and Co. Monaghan
• Co. Louth and Co. Meath
• Co. Longford and Co. Westmeath
• Co. Laois and Co. Offaly
• Co. Kildare and Co. Wicklow
• Co. Kilkenny and Co. Carlow

Existing VECs

Merged VEC