The Shannon Consortium is a regional collaboration between four higher education institutions in the Mid-West region:

The partners came together with the aim of strengthening regional capacity in the areas of Access, Teaching & Learning, Lifelong Learning, and Research through collaboration and building on the current strengths and initiatives in the partner institutions.

Limerick Institute of Technology

University of Limerick

Mary Immaculate College

Institute of Technology Tralee
Downtown Centre
Established in 2007, the Downtown Centre is an access, guidance and support centre for adults (aged 18+) who are interested in progressing to higher education. Situated in Limerick City Centre, it is a joint initiative of the Shannon Consortium Partners:

- University of Limerick (UL)
- Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT)
- Mary Immaculate College (MIC)
- The Institute of Technology Tralee (ITT)

The City of Limerick VEC, County Limerick VEC and the PAUL Partnership are also members of the Centre’s Steering Committee and support the work of the Centre. The City of Limerick VEC Adult Education Service is a delivery partner of the Shannon Consortium for its Certificate in General Studies.

The Centre aims to attract a diversity of applicants to higher education by providing a small, welcoming and accessible environment in which adults can seek information and guidance on progressing to third-level education and can attend information seminars and workshops to support them in making their decision about their third-level learning options.

One of the core services offered in the Downtown Centre is an Educational Guidance Service which offers information, advice and guidance to adults(ages 18 plus) interested in finding out about higher education learning opportunities.

The Downtown Centre delivers a Certificate in General Studies, a third-level preparatory programme, offering electives in the offering disciplines of Humanities and Science. Successful completion of the programme guarantees direct entry for participants onto designated undergraduate courses within each of the Centre’s partner institutions.

The Downtown Centre also runs Return to Learning Information Seminars and Taster Classes which are designed to provide participants with some of the necessary information to support their decision in making an application to higher education and to introduce participants to different academic skills and subjects which are developed through higher education programmes. Information on these seminars can be downloaded from the Latest Newspage.

The Downtown Centre is located on the second floor of the Limerick Diocesan Pastoral Centre, St Michael’s Courtyard, Denmark Street, Limerick. For further information contact info@downtowncentre.ie or phone 061-233701.

The Downtown Centre has been developed with the assistance of funding from the Higher Education Authority’s Strategic Innovation Fund Cycle One, 2007-2009.

Higher Education Authority
National Development Plan 2007-2013
   
Department of Education & Science
info@downtowncentre.ie
downtowncentre.ie (C) 2008