FEW EDUCATIONALISTS in Ireland were thinking about the environment in the 1970s. Pollution had not become a burning issue, as it were. So it is surprising to discover that the State's first diploma in environmental science was established over 20 years ago at Sligo RTC.
This first course in environmental science was launched in 1974. The origins of the college's longstanding diploma in science (pollution assessment and control) go back that far. The NCEA awarded recognition to the course in environmental science, as it was then called, in 1975.
"That was very early days in 1974 for environmental courses," says Dr Billy Fitzgerald, the recently appointed head of the college's department of environmental science. He credits Pat Timpson, head of the college's school of science, for the introduction of the diploma in environmental science.
It was, Fitzgerald says, a visionary step at the time. A degree course in environmental science was put in place in 1982. "We consider that we have the longest standing reputation in environmental science in the country," he says.
"We were the only college at the time, and until quite recently, providing environmental science up to that level," Fitzgerald adds.
"The Water Pollution Act 1977 was on the cards at the time and skilled people were needed to implement the technical aspects of that. As a result of that early foresight, we have a lot of expertise in the department today."
As a result of the college's lead in this area of science, Fitzgerald believes that Sligo RTC's reputation is recognised around the country by applicants to its courses today. Those who chose to study for the three-year-diploma in science (pollution assessment and control) last year needed 330 points to qualify for a place.
"There has been a large demand for places and hence a larger number of points," Fitzgerald explains about this ab initio (from the beginning) diploma course.
Employment prospects for those who graduate with the diploma include working with local authorities, in industry or with State bodies. A large proportion of those who work as environmental technicians and pollution officers with local authorities and fishery boards have come from the course.
The diploma provides a qualification that enables graduates to work in pollution control and in the monitoring and assessment sectors of industry. Their jobs can include monitoring water quality in the area of effluent treatment from plants and licensed discharges from industry.
Pollution officers are also expected to carry out pollution surveys in agriculture, as well as surveys on air quality.
It is a conscious feature of the department of environmental science, Fitzgerald explains, that a good number of those on the staff have backgrounds in industry.
The emphasis in the course is on the practical aspect of these areas in environmental science and waste management. A major proportion of the students' time is spent in field work and in the laboratory. Graduates also have the option of continuing with their studies for a degree.
LINK between Sligo RTC and Coventry University has been established over the past five years. This arrangement enables students from Sligo to have the option of joining - at the end of their first year - the degree in applied biology in Coventry in second year. After completing this year, they return and rejoin the Sligo course in third year.
These students may then return to Coventry University for a fourth year, to complete an honours degree in applied biology.
"As a result of that we have a lot of expertise," Fitzgerald says.
The college's specialisation in the area of environmental science continues to develop. The beginning of the current academic year saw the introduction of the country's first and only diploma in science (safety, health and industrial hygiene).
The new diploma is expected to produce graduates with a sound scientific training in these areas. They are expected to graduate with an ability to apply their skills within both the public and private sectors in Ireland and abroad.
Qualified safety and health personnel would be likely to have a role in instructing and training staff and in controlling safety and health in work environments.
As Fitzgerald points out, this is the only undergraduate course in safety and health in the State. The introduction of the 1989 Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act, he explains, has led to "a greater emphasis on health and safety in the work place and it's become quite a technical science in itself and we decided that we'd like to fill the need for trained people in this area.
"Traditionally people in industry did not have people who had received formal training in this area. We knew from our surveys that this was a requirement and that there was a market for graduates."
This area of health, hygiene and safety in the work place is "extremely big", as employers become more and more aware of the dangers and of the need to employ trained personnel in this area, according to Fitzgerald. The cost to Irish people as a result of accidents at work was about £300 million last year alone.
"Employers' insurance premiums would decrease if they were able to properly manage health and safety in the work place," he says.
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