Regional Technical Colleges, later Institutes of Technology, were developed just over fifty years ago in response to a perceived gap in knowledge, skills, and competencies required to promote market growth and success ( Thorn, 2018 ). It was envisaged that this change to Ireland’s higher education landscape would be capable of continuing adaptation to the social, economic, and technological changes (to meet the needs of employers and students (Steering Committee on Technical Education Report to the Minister for Education on Regional Technical Colleges, 1967, 11). Fifty years after this initiative began, the presented paper wishes to reflect and review what is occurring within today’s higher education landscape, posing the question: Did the newly introduced additional higher education institute type evolve from their modest beginnings? Specifically, did they, as suggested by the Steering Committee on Technical Education Report to the Minister for Education on Regional Technical Colleges (1967), avoid the dichotomy and provide students with an opportunity to study in a variety of fields close to their home, or has something else emerged and evolved that is in contradiction to this ambition. This research paper examines these questions using available Higher Education Authority data, considering what this means for student access, equity, and choice within Ireland’s higher education system. The findings of this review suggest that while increased student participation in higher education is evident, the choice for today’s aspiring student is less noticeable or possible within some fields of study because of the socially constructed configuration of Ireland’s higher education system.

中文翻译：

---

五十年过去了——爱尔兰高等教育体系和结构的局限性和机遇

地区技术学院（后来的理工学院）是在五十多年前成立的，旨在应对促进市场增长和成功所需的知识、技能和能力方面的明显差距（Thorn，2018）。据设想，爱尔兰高等教育格局的这一变化将能够继续适应社会、经济和技术变化（以满足雇主和学生的需求（技术教育指导委员会向教育部长提交的关于区域技术教育的报告） Colleges, 1967, 11). 在这一举措开始五十年后，本文希望反思和回顾当今高等教育格局中正在发生的事情，并提出以下问题：新引入的额外高等教育机构类型是否从其朴素的开端演变而来？具体来说，他们是否按照技术教育指导委员会向教育部长提交的关于地区技术学院的报告（1967年）的建议，避免了二分法并为学生提供了在离家较近的各种领域学习的机会，或者与这一雄心相矛盾的其他东西已经出现和演变。本研究论文使用现有的高等教育局数据来研究这些问题，考虑这对爱尔兰高等教育系统内的学生入学机会、公平性和选择意味着什么。本次审查的结果表明，虽然学生对高等教育的参与程度明显增加，但由于爱尔兰高等教育体系的社会构建结构，当今有抱负的学生在某些学习领域的选择不太引人注目或不太可能。