First awards ceremony at Offaly LOETB centre
LOETB Birr welcomed over 80 students to their first awards night in the centre on Thursday October 27th.
The Awards Ceremony welcomed a full house of students, their family and friends. The event was held in the Further Education and Training Centre which opened in Townsend Street in 2021.
The Centre Manager, Eileen Kenna Quinn, congratulated everyone on their achievements, she said nearly 500 people attended courses in the centre in the academic year 2021/22. Eileen thanked the staff in the centre for their dedication, hard work and support for the students, she also said a big thank you to John McFadden and his students for organising the wonderful event.
Eileen said she loves the fact that the centre is a Further Education and Training centre that all age groups feel happy to attend to upskill, retrain or attend a hobby course.
Anne Marie Keane, Further Education and Training Manager for Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB), joined them to present the students with their QQI Certificates. Anne Marie was very complimentary about the centre and the amount of work being done there.
The Awards Ceremony, where students from Art & Design, Business, Computers, Cookery, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), Craft, Horticulture and Retail, to name just a few, received their awards, was managed by their Event Production & Tourism students as part of their course.
Ciara Bracken, who received her Certificate in Childcare and Healthcare, said “From the course I am now working in Bluebird Care, have expanded my qualifications and CV, none of that would have been possible without coming to the LOETB Birr.” She added “I am now going on to do the SNA course in January and hoping to get into a school to do SNA”.
In fact Jasmin Daly who told Ciara Bracken about the course, mirrored a similar experience as she is pursuing the SNA course in January, Jasmin said “Come September I hope to do the Level 5 Early Learning and Care Certificate, so I can get a good job in a Childcare setting”.
Michael Maher, who studied both Horticulture Level 4 and Level 5 said “I started a full time job the day after I finished the course, over the grounds in the Horse & Jockey Hotel”. He added “when I started the course I had zero computer skills, within two years I received distinctions in subjects such as Word Processing and Communications”.
Those qualifications stood Michael well as during May he gave six talks in Libraries during the Bealtaine Festival. Speaking fondly about his time in LOETB Birr Michael added “Sean Berril (LOETB Birr FE Tutor) was fantastic and the staff are very down to earth and accommodating.” As the practical aspect of the course is partially delivered in Birr Castle Demesne Michael emphasised his appreciation to Shane Hollywood, and Lord and Lady Rosse. Michael intends to return to education at some point in the future “It has given me a lust for education and I couldn’t speak highly enough of the course”.
Other students involved in the Awards Ceremony included Esther Spain, who along with Garrett Kelly and Luke Guinan managed the event said “It's hard to believe we only started the Event Production and Tourism course six weeks ago. And now in that time we have learned how to write an event plan which explores all the fine and sometimes unseen details from health and safety through to the importance of signage. Luke, Garrett and myself are really looking forward to organising our next event in November already.”