Connemara, a rural region in Ireland, is characterized by high unemployment, high emigration, poor infrastructure, inadequate public services, and a low rate of transfer to third-level education. To address the situation, the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), joined forces with Connemara West (a community-owned development organization in the village of Letterfrack) to establish and operate a 2-year postsecondary program in furniture design and manufacture. The aim was to make the Furniture College a nationally, even internationally, renowned center for developing and teaching skills in modern furniture design and technology. By doing so, they hoped to expand economic opportunity for area youth, stimulate the local economy, revive the lagging Irish furniture industry, and increase national demand for high-quality furniture. Programs offered include a certificate in furniture design and manufacture, a bachelor of science in furniture technology, and a certificate in furniture production. The Furniture Technology Center, an entity developed by but separate from the college, offers technical consulting, technical information, courses, seminars, and technology demonstrations. The Furniture Restoration Center is another successful but separate entity of the college. Nearly all students surveyed for this report expect to leave the area, as there are still few local companies to employ them. It is still too early to calculate the college's potential economic impact on the local economy. (NB)