Nationwide interest in building capacity in Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine, and Veterinary  

Posted: 30 November, 2022

A total of 39 expressions of interest have been submitted to the Higher Education Authority in response to a call to identify opportunities to build capacity in Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine and Veterinary across the higher education system.

This HEA initiative seeks to respond swiftly to national skills needs in these disciplinary areas, and expressions of interest were sought from institutions with capability to expand existing courses or create new courses in academic year 2024-25 or 2025-26.

Twenty institutions have proposed to deliver new courses and 19 institutions are proposing to expand on existing courses in the selected disciplines.

Reponses represent a rapid, nationwide engagement with the call, with expressions of interest in developing new courses in Pharmacy and Veterinary from all four provinces.

CEO of the HEA, Dr Alan Wall, welcomed the response from HEIs and affirmed the importance of the initiative.

“It is vital that the higher education sector responds effectively to evolving national priorities and skills needs, and the range and high standard of expressions of interest submitted reflects the commitment of institutions to meeting societal needs. The health of the system is evident in the strength and variety of submissions received, with institutions illustrating their capacity to deliver new and additional places in Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine, and Veterinary,” Dr Wall said.

The HEA is currently reviewing applications with a view to moving to the second stage of the assessment process, which will involve review by an expert panel. It is expected that the HEA will be in contact with institutions shortly.

The HEA may use a similar Expression of Interest process to build capacity in these and other areas in the future.