Jones Engineering supports Ireland’s first centre of excellence in construction education with to TU Dublin

Published: 22 Nov, 2019

Jones Engineering Group has announced a €1 million donation to Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) to support the building of Design & Construct, Ireland’s first centre of excellence for construction education at TU Dublin in Broombridge, Cabra.

TU Dublin is Ireland’s largest provider of education and skills to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction sector with over 7,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students, 1,000 trade apprentices and 120 doctoral students.  Design & Construct is TU Dublin’s response to the critical skills shortages and challenges facing the construction sector. It will be a national centre of excellence for multidisciplinary and collaborative education, research and industry engagement for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector in Ireland. Broombridge will, for the first time in Ireland, unite all AEC disciplines allowing the sector address challenges and innovate to maintain competitiveness both nationally and internationally.

Details of the donation were announced at the presentation of the inaugural Jones Engineering Scholarships to Engineering and Performing Arts students at TU Dublin.  Five scholarships were presented in total - three to engineering students and two to students from the University’s Conservatoire of Music and Drama.

Speaking at the Jones Engineering presentation, the President of TU Dublin, Professor David FitzPatrick said: “As Ireland’s first Technological University, TU Dublin is leading a transformation in Higher Education, encouraging deeper collaboration with industry for the advancement of knowledge and innovation, and developing key skills through practice-based educational opportunities. TU Dublin has enjoyed a close working partnership with Jones Engineering for many years through our founder institutions, and I am delighted to have this opportunity to thank Jim Curley and Jones Engineering for this very generous support of our Transforming Tomorrow philanthropic campaign. With our partners, we will deliver Ireland’s first national centre of excellence in design and construction at Broombridge, where students will have an incomparable opportunity to experience all construction disciplines and to learn alongside researchers and innovators in what will become a testbed for the Built Environment sector in Ireland and abroad.”

Jim Curley, CEO, Jones Engineering Group, said; “As a graduate of Bolton Street, I am delighted that Jones Engineering Group is supporting TU Dublin as it establishes this world-class campus here in Broombridge. The centre of excellence for construction education being established by TU Dublin is an important initiative for the future of Ireland’s construction sector.  I am particularly pleased that this multidisciplinary centre will break down the traditional silos that can exist between the creative and engineering disciplines and will ensure that our future leaders in the construction sector have the skills which will deliver greater innovation and lead to more Irish construction and architectural firms competing successfully on the global stage.

“At Jones Engineering, we firmly believe in ‘STEAM’, the integration of science, engineering and the arts to generate new ideas and deliver innovative solutions. Our Group works in more than 13 countries, and every day I see the advantage Irish people have in how they do business.  As Irish people, we have a natural creativity that allows us to be good communicators but also to look through a more creative lens to projects.  The multidisciplinary approach to construction education being developed at TU Dublin will be a game-changer in construction education, and we are delighted to support the university in this new approach as a partner in the building of the new Centre and in the presentation of these scholarships to Engineering and Arts students”.

Jones Engineering Scholarships were presented to:

Lee Gibbons – BE Mechanical Engineering - Blanchardstown

Lee Gibbons accepting his scholarship

Gearoid Cronin – BSc Product Design - Portmarnock

Gearoid Cronin

Aoife Murphy – BE Mechanical Engineering – Knocklyon

Jim Curley CEO, Jones Engineering, Molly Mew, Gearoid Cronin, and President of TU Dublin, Professor David FitzPatrick

John Rousseau - BMus - Lucan

John Rousseau accepting his scholarship

Molly Mew – BA Drama (Performance) – Roscommon

President of TU Dublin, Professor David FitzPatrick, Molly Mew, Gearoid Cronin

Jones Engineering Scholarship students standing outside St Laurence

Harp Player

Speakers at the Jones Engineering presentation

Jones Engineering Scholarship students standing outside St Laurence