Overview
The EU Just Transition Fund’s single specific objective is: enabling regions and people to address the social, employment, economic and environmental impacts of the transition towards the Unions 2030 targets for energy and climate and a climate neutral economy of the Union by 20250, based on the Paris Agreement. This project is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Just Transition Fund.
Our Just Transition Academy project deadline for completion is 31st March 2026.
The TUS Just Transition Academy (JTA) and Research Observatory based in Offaly has a primary objective to; expand existing opportunities and implement new education, training and skills programmes targeted at communities in Co. Offaly most affected by the transition to climate neutrality and closure of peat production, and least likely to engage in traditional style education.
This is being achieved through a collaborative, partnership approach with Offaly Local Development Company (OLDC), Laois & Offaly Education Training Board (LOETB) and Offaly County Council (OCC), inspired by the Communiversity1 movement and bringing the university into the community. The project origins are rooted in community-based discussions and planning dating back several years and the comprehensive work “to develop a collaborative model of bottom-up development in Offaly as a model for engagement by a university with its community” undertaken by Andrea Broughton, Paul Dowling, Cécile Weber and Robert Pollock on behalf of START in February 2024.
- Bradley, Tony & Lessem, Ronnie. (2019). The Idea of the Communiversity. ↩︎
Aims and Objectives
TUS (Dept of Applied Sciences) secured funding from Pobal for the TUS Just Transition Academy (JTA), collaboratively with our three partners: Offaly Local Development Company (OLDC), Laois & Offaly Education Training Board (LOETB) and Offaly County Council (OCC).
Our JTA aims to address community needs in Offaly under four key pillars: Regenerative Education, Regenerative Agriculture, Regenerative Communities, Regenerative Economies. Each pillar has a range of training objectives and research projects aimed at engaging with those most in need and least likely to engage in traditional style education/upskilling and providing needs- based solutions.
Key elements of research will be undertaken and the Observatory element of the JTA will highlight the value and necessity of the Communiversity approach to a Just Transition, along with evaluating the unique nature of the collaborative approach and the benefits of this delivery to communities in Offaly.
Our Partners
The four partners in this project are:
- Technological University of the Shannon
- Offaly Local Development Company (OLDC)
- Laois & Offaly Education Training Board (LOETB)
- Offaly County Council (OCC)
An overarching MoU is in place and signed by the relevant partners. The MoU reflects the commitment by all parties to the partnership and we are in a unique arrangement to delivers on all four pillars within the project to those most in need in Offaly: Regenerative Education, Regenerative Agriculture, Regenerative Communities, Regenerative Economies
The added value from our partnership approach includes:
- The partnership will provide exposure and opportunity to those communities and groups that did not traditionally engage with FE/HE and who are most affected by the transition.
- TUS-JTA will assist in keeping Co. Offaly at the forefront of national awareness.
- TUS-JTA will facilitate the leveraging and utilising of the current physical and digital resources and structures of each of the partners avoiding duplication and unnecessary costs.
- A unified, more effective public and community engagement on decarbonisation and Just Transition in Offaly.
Our Funding
The Just Transition Academy project in Offaly is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Just Transition Fund. The fund is administerred by Pobal and we have all necessary arrangements in place to comply with all funding requirements.
