Minister Appointments (March 2011);

MINISTER SHANE McENTEE
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food
(with special responsibility for Fisheries and Foresty)

FTEI would like to welcome Minister Shane McEntee to his new role as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food (with special responsibility for Fisheries and Foresty)




Minister Sean Connick :2010-2011

Minister Sean Connick

  SEAN CONNICK
  Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries &      Food (with special responsibility for Fisheries and Foresty)

 FTEI would like to welcome Minister Sean Connick to his new role as  Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food
                         (with special responsibility for Fisheries and Foresty)

Minister Tony Killeen :2009-2010                                                    

MARCH 2011 : FTEI would like extend good wishes to Minister Tony Killeen on his retirement.
MARCH 2010 : FTEI would like to thank Minister Tony Killeen, for his contributions and assistance from April 2009 to March 2010. We would also like to wish him well in his new role as Minister for Defence.

MESSAGE FROM MINISTER TONY KILLEEN :Minister Tony Killeen

TONY KILLEEN
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food
(with special responsibility for Fisheries and Foresty):

“I am pleased to avail of this opportunity to make a few comments about the importance of training in the forestry sector and the contribution being made by Forestry Training and Education Ireland Ltd (FTEI).

Increased forest planting and the sustainable management of existing forests are key elements of Government policy on forestry. Forestry encompasses many activities from the cultivation of plants in the nurseries, planting, and ongoing maintenance right through to harvesting and processing.  My Department has also been proactively encouraging the development of local producer groups to encourage forest thinning and to create a market for locally produced wood, often in the emerging wood energy area.  As in any sector, forestry requires a workforce with the requisite skills to carry out forestry operations safely, efficiently and effectively so training is essential to meet that requirement.

I am greatly encouraged by the progress of FTEI in meeting that need over the last number of years. All the organisations involved have worked hard to make a success of this innovative project which has, as its principal aim, the goal of providing a sustainable forestry education and training programme for the forest industry.

I am also pleased to see that appropriate courses arel all delivered following competitive tendering system with value for money and quality of training at the forefront of the selection criteria. 'Value for Money' has always been a factor in the funding of any project and now more so than ever when resources are limited and needs have to be prioritised.

 I note that FTEI recently undertook a ‘Training Needs Analysis’ for forest thinning operations. This is timely and relevant given the findings in my Department’s recent National Forestry Inventory regarding the percentage of the national forest estate approaching first thinning and the development of the producer groups.  This thinning needs analysis should prove beneficial for both FTEI and the Forest Service when decisions are being made on the areas and skills to be prioritised for training in the coming years.

I would like to thank the members of the Board of FTEI for their commitment and input over the past year. I would like to thank, in particular, the Chairman of the Board for giving of his time so freely during that period.

Finally, I think it is important to note that working in cooperation to achieve common goals, as the various organisations that make up FTEI do, is the way forward, not alone for the forest industry, but the nation as a whole in these challenging times.”


"Funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2007-2013"