Ireland's Minister for Lifelong Learning, Seán Haughey, has opened new facilities at the Institute of Business and Technology, in Swords village, north Co Dublin.

The Institute is a private college, established in 2004, which provides a range of full-time and part-time accredited academic programmes to Irish and international students.

Speaking at the opening Minister Haughey spoke of the importance of broadening the range of opportunities for life-long learning

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"The need for upskilling and continual training of individuals in the workforce and those who have become unemployed is widely recognised," he said.

"In the current transient economic climate this takes on an even greater importance as Ireland seeks to improve its competitiveness and to provide a highly skilled, productive and flexible workforce to support economic recovery.

"The Institute here in Swords has state of the art facilities and expertise to make a significant contribution to increasing skill levels in the region and to promoting life-long learning locally."

Minister Haughey said he looked forward to seeing the facility continue to provide more opportunities for students to enhance their employment prospects and to harness their personal potential.

(PR/GK)