About

Ballyfermot Road, Southwest Campus (formerly known as BCFE) is a constituent College of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (ETB).  The City of Dublin ETB is the patron of the College, as laid down in the Education and Training Boards Act 2013.

Mission Statement

This college of further and higher education provides vocational education through the provision of excellent teaching and guidance in a caring and supportive learning environment.

Core Values

• Equal opportunities and access.
• Respect for each individual.
• An open and flexible approach to learning.
• Student-centred.
• Commitment to innovation and improvement.

College Governance & Management

(a)   Board of Management

The college is governed by a Board of Management (BOM) which is made up of representatives of the City of Dublin ETB , the local business community, educational representatives, teachers and students.  The BOM serves for five years. However, each year two students – one male, one female – are chosen from our pool of Student Representatives to sit on the Board of Management.

The BOM has as its remit the management of the college on behalf of the City of Dublin ETB in accordance with relevant legislation; Department of Education and Skills circulars, guidelines and procedures; and any policies or strategies that the City of Dublin ETB may establish regarding the operation of its schools and colleges.

Our BOM aims to provide direction and oversight for this college while ensuring that the rights of all members of the college community are upheld and that the college is accountable in its operations.

(b)   Our Management Team

The Management Team comprises of the Principal Cecilia Munro, two Deputy Principals Dr Denis Murray and Kenneth Rea, Assistant Principals (I and II), all of whom are members of the teaching staff.

History

Established in 1979 as the Senior College, Ballyfermot this college provided senior cycle, second level education and pre-employment programmes to local young people. The first post Leaving Certificate courses began in 1980 and the funding of Vocational Preparation and Training Programme (VPTP) education by the European Social Fund enabled the college to establish itself as one of the first Colleges of Further Education in the State. The delivery of second level programmes was phased out in 1993 and the college is now the second largest provider of Further Education in Ireland. It was renamed Ballyfermot College of Further Education in 1999. In 2025 the college was rebranded to become part of the Southwest Campus of City of Dublin FET College.

Faculties

• Education, Adult and Community Education
• Arts, Humanities and Creative Media
• Business, Administration and Law
• Creative Arts and Media
• Health and Welfare
• Social Science, Journalism and Information

Buildings

The college is made up of three buildings:

• Main Building, located on Ballyfermot Road
• Media Building, located on Ballyfermot Road
• Arts Building, located on Kylemore Road