McDermott elected as LOETB chairperson

At the December meeting of the Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB), Fianna Fáil Cllr Robert McDermott was elected as Chairperson for the coming year.

Cllr Mc Dermott took the opportunity this week to thank those who nominated him at the meeting and all who supported him. He said he was honoured to be elected as Chairperson and was looking forward to the challenge ahead. He took the opportunity to outline the vast remit that the LOETB has and its influence in both counties.

The LOETB provides education and training services to a population of 162,658 across the two counties. The organisation’s head office is in Portlaoise. In 2019 there were nine post-primary schools under its remit catering for 3918 students, while there was a further 12,373 people in further Education and Training programmes.

It has administrative offices in both Portlaoise and Tullamore. It also has responsibility for Further Education and Training Centres in Banagher, Birr, Clara, Edenderry, Portarlington and Portlaoise. It also runs the National Construction Training Centre in Mount Lucas together with running Education Centres in both the Portlaoise and Midlands Prisons. It also has responsibility for the Arts and runs the Laois School of Music in Portlaoise.

“There are 460 post primary teachers, together with 360 FET teachers/tutors/ Instructors. It also employs 94 administrative staff along with 15 coordinators/centre managers. LOETB employs 14 resource workers, 36 maintenance staff along with 40 support staff including SNAs bringing a total of 1,019. This would make the LOETB one of, if not the biggest, employer in the Midlands,” concluded Cllr McDermott.