McCann House 99 Marlborough Road

Donnybrook Dublin 4

Tel: (01) 4966033 Fax.: (01) 4966460Email: info@ivea.ie

Website: www.ivea.ie

ISSUE: WINTER 2009

Representing Vocational Education Committees(Irish Vocational Education Association – An Cumann Gairmoideachais in Éirinn)

NEWS

INSIDE: IVEA CONGRESS2009 pages 3-6

SECTION 29 HIGHCOURT RULING page 7

PPEF PRESENTATIONTO JOCES pages 17-18

2 WINTER 2009

C O N T E N T S

SECTION 1:The Future for VECs 2

Challenging Times for Industrial Relations 3

IVEA Presidential Address – “Save our VECsand ensure a future for our youth” 3

IVEA Congress 2009 – In Review 6

SECTION 2:

Section 29 High Court Ruling in favour ofCo. Westmeath VEC welcomed by IVEA 7

Summer fun at Moyne College andSt Tiernan’s College 7

Using ICT to enrich teaching and learningin Kerry Education Service Schools 8

St Ailbe’s Team Blink are All Ireland Champions 9

Youthreach - one of the best achievementsof the last twenty years of education policy 10

Co. Louth VEC’s Eco-School 11

SECTION 3:Senior Traveller Training Centres – A Profile 12

Douglas Street Education Services Centreand Residential Facility officially opened 13

The Role of the Adult Education Officer 13

The Adult Educational Guidance Initiative 14

Co. Dublin VEC’s Adult Refugee Programme– Art Exhibition 15

Adult Literacy Provision in Ireland’s NewEconomic Climate – providing a foundationfor social and economic recovery 16

SECTION 4:Post-Primary Education Forum (PPEF)presentation to the Joint OireachtasCommittee on Education & Science 17

IVEA Study Visit to Norway 19

Launch of New IVEA website 22

Superannuation Task Group Update 22

IVEA says YES to Europe too! 23

SECTION 5:The Back to Education Initiative (BTEI) 24

Educational Leadership: Unlockingour capacity to respond 25

IPB launch ‘VEC Risk – excellence in governancethrough best practice risk management 26

Community Education – Facilitating Partnershipson behalf of Learners 27

SECTION 6:CEOs retiring from VECs 28

SECTION 7:Minister Hanafin launches IVEA History 32

EDITORIAL

The Future for VECs?

THE keynote speechesdelivered by IVEA

President Mary Bohan andMinister Batt O’Keeffe toCongress 2009 in Dromoland,Co. Clare, provided anopportunity to hear two distinctmessages. The Minister iskeen to aggregate or amal-gamate VECs along the linesrecommended in theMcCarthy Report (from 33 to22) or even further as hasbeen hinted. IVEAs President,Mary Bohan argued that thecounty structure is an idealefficient size for the localdelivery of national educationprogrammes. She contendedthat greater co-operation,more efficiencies and addedfunctionalities would enhancethe impact and effectivenessof the local county VEC whilsta lso de l i ve r ing on keyefficiencies and financialsavings. She argued that the€3 mill ion savings could be achieved without resorting toamalgamation.

VECs represented at Congress passed a resolution expressing oppositionto the McCarthy Report’s recommendations but also calling for talksbetween IVEA and the Department of Education and Science. VECs arenot against change and their entire evolution has been about adaptabilityand flexibility. But what is key to the ongoing evolutionary role of VECs,is their deep-rooted connection with the local communities they serve.This is the raison d’etre of their existence. Key to anchoring the VEC inthe local community is the Committee representation by the local publicrepresentatives and the other stake-holders (parents, staff, communityand business interests etc.). It is the collective input of these voices fromthe local community which underpins the effectiveness of local VECs andsupports the work of the VEC Executive.

There is no secret about the Minister’s intention. There is an agendawhich sees many VECs in future, as multi-county entities far more remotefrom the local communities in each individual county. The county is anideal service area for VECs as it empowers local people to manage anddeliver local education programmes.

IVEA has argued that both Sections 10 and 21 of the VocationalEducation (Amendment) Act, 2001, provides opportunities for VECco-operation and sharing of services while also providing capacity foradditional functionality. This should be seen as a way forward while alsoretaining the county structure.

What is key to any negotiations is good communication and theoverwhelming view of Congress was that IVEA and the Department ofEducation and Science should engage in a consultative process. IVEAhas requested this way forward to the Department of Education andScience. While there are varying perspectives on the future of VECs,bilateral talks can lead to a shared understanding of these perspectives.Is that not what partnership is about?

Michael Moriarty, General Secretary,responding to Minister O’Keeffe atCongress 2009

Editor: Deirdre Keogh, IVEA

3WINTER 2009

IVEA Presidential Address– “Save our VECs and ensure a future for our youth”

SPEAKING at Congress on 17September last, IVEA President Cllr

Mary Bohan passionately defended therole of VECs, warned against further cutsto education and requested that MinisterBatt O’Keeffe intervene personally toensure that young people with low skillsare not lost indefinitely ‘in the twilightzone inhabited by the unemployable’.

According to Cllr Bohan ………

● ‘There is virtually universal acknow-ledgement that education, trainingand skills are the turbines that powera modern economy. However, theseengines need to be maintained andfuelled if Ireland is to re-establishitself as a world-class economy – richin human capital and high qualityskills’.

● Education must be protected from ‘theshell-shocks of further resource cutbacks– cutbacks with the potential to

undermine the entirety of theprogress that that has been achievedsince the enactment of the EducationAct in 1998’.

● A ‘nation state is all about thefacilitation of human progress andfulfilment. A State with a balancedbudget but a people who are miserableis a beaten docket – in any age’.

Alarm at effects of cuts on provision– schools & Further Education

● IVEA is ‘alarmed at the withdrawal ofessential resources from theeducation sector during the pastyear’. These cuts ‘have impaired allareas of VEC provision’.

In particular:

● The embargo on replacing VEC AdultEducation Officers ‘seriously under-mines provision and discriminatesagainst those involved in non-school

education and training’

● ‘The school timetabling nightmarehas required a miracle equivalent toturning water into wine ... resourcescannot just be conjured up out of thinair.’

● ‘Students are losing out ... subjectchoice and programme optionsrestricted ... loss of essential teachingprovision for minority subjects ...students at ordinary and higher levelsbeing combined in the one class group.The embargo on replacing post ofresponsibility holders is dismantlingschool middle management systemsand reducing capacity of schools toprovide appropriate support to students’.

Need for a Charter of Rights &Entitlements for Students/Schools

● The Department of Education andScience needs to ‘engage urgentlywith the education partners to agree

IVEA Congress 2009

The worsening economic recession and financial crisis hasfundamentally challenged the industrial relations frameworkof the State in the context of the long-standing socialpartnership approach to nationally agreed policies anddevelopment plans for implementation over defined periodsfor the advancement of society.

Partnership thrives on a positive agenda and so it has beenwhen national development plans were agreed by the socialpartners. In an era on entrenchment and enforced cutbackson investment, the national partnership process is beingseriously challenged.

After a year of cutting educational resources and supportsthere was unexpected but welcome news for the educationsector in the form of the October 10th Renewed Programmefor Government. This reversal of some of the worst cuts hittingdisadvantaged pupils in particular, arose from consistentcampaigning by IVEA and other education partners. Cuttingsupports for the weaker students was never a policy foundedon educational principles. Education is an investment infuture generations and an investment from which the Statecan deliver significant returns.

The chill winds of change driven by the cuts agenda hasimpacted on all public services. The constant demand forinvestment of scarce resources across all sectors of theeconomy is matched by warnings of severe cutbacks in

Government programmes, living standards and much more.Strikes are becoming a feature of the industrial relationslandscape.

In the education sector, Teacher Unions have implementeddirectives to members in respect of parent and staff meetingsoutside of school hours on class size and Whole SchoolEvaluation. The TUI is also reluctant to develop new FETACprogrammes which is seriously damaging and eroding thecapacity of the further education sector to respond to thefuture skills needs agenda.

VECs are faced with the threat of amalgamation on the basisof the McCarthy Report to save €3 million following theMinister’s confirmation of the amalgamation agenda at IVEACongress 2009.

Challenging times require flexibility and innovation if we areto deliver on education and training services in a time of deeprecession. The IVEA/FÁS Agreement to collaborate nationallyand regionally is a welcome initiative which will benefit thelearner. Collaboration must surely be seen as the way forward.

The VEC National Partnership Forum has built the basis forVEC co-operation. The Forum’s work has been timely andthe next year or so will determine if the solid foundation issufficiently rooted to sustain us all through very difficult timesindeed.

Challenging Times for Industrial Relations

a charter of rights for primary, post-primary and further education – acharter that will comprehend a set ofminimum entitlements for schoolsand students; a charter that might beexpected to restore significantly themorale of many in the educationsector who have become disillusionedwith what appears to be a rolling backof hard won gains for learners’.

● ‘If we could agree a set of minimumstandards in relation to:

● Class size and support for studentswith special needs

● Student welfare, Counselling andmental health supports

● Each student’s entitlement to acurriculum that meets his/herparticular needs within reason

● The ICT supports necessary tosupport teaching and learning

● The knowledge, skills andcompetences our teachers needto maximise learner outcomes

● The administrative supportsessential to the effective operationof schools, etc.

...we would all have something to worktowards collaboratively’.

● The proposal for a learners’ charter is‘not a request for a blank cheque but arequest that those with responsibility

for controlling the State’s pursestrings should have regard for thepracticalities of managing the deliveryof educational services on theground. The current approach ofblanket embargos on appointments, ifpersisted with, has the potential to setIrish education back a generation’.

● ‘We have to get off this merry-go-round of claim and counter claim’and put ‘a floor under the educationsystem to ensure that all learners inschools and in further educationprogrammes are provided with theeducation and training they need tomake the most of their lives ...’

● Should the Department ‘take steps toput such a charter in place, all theeducation partners would feel muchmore included than they currentlyfeel. Currently, they are left to railagainst cutbacks – knowing notwhere we are ultimately headed.’

● ‘In the absence of a charter oflearners’ rights, agreement about thestandards we aspire to and strategiesfor achieving those standards, we areall left to flail around – arguing aboutwho gets what deck chair on a shipthat we feel is heading for thebottom’.

● ‘Moves towards putting in place alearners’ charter could be expected tomove the education debate on to a

new and constructive platform – toprovide the education partners with areal opportunity to contribute on thebasis of their experience, to thestrategic management of theeducation system’.

McCarthy Report recommendationscause disillusionment

● Proposals in the McCarthy Report toamalgamate VECs ‘have causedgreat disappointment and disillusion-ment’. ‘VECs are deeply rooted intheir communities. They are of thecommunity and peopled by thecommunity. Their target for the deliveryof their education programmes andservices are ordinary people (youngand not so young) in every parish andcommunity in Ireland’.

● ‘Now, more than ever, there is need forVEC provided education and trainingprogrammes to counter the blight ofunemployment and hopelessnessthat has descended on so many ofour citizens – in every community inIreland’.

● VECs ‘engage with their communitiesface to face – through their schoolsand centres, their Adult EducationOfficers, their Adult LiteracyOrganisers and their CommunityEducation Facilitators. VECs, as wellas managing some one third of all

4 WINTER 2009

SECTION 1

IVEA President, Cllr Mary Bohan, addressing delegates and guests at the 105th IVEA Annual Congress

second level schools, provide someform of further education to in excessof 200,000 adults annually – much ofthis targeting disadvantage, those withlow basic skills and those seeking asecond chance. Indeed, the numberof adult learners, that VECs cater toannually, exceeds the total number ofgraduate and undergraduate studentsin third level education’.

● ‘Some commentators fail toacknowledge that a very significantproportion of a VEC’s administrativestaff is involved in developing andleading education programmes forearly-school-leavers and thoseavailing of second-chance educationin one form or another, many ofwhom fall into the hard-to-accesscategory’.

● ‘VECs are as identified with countyand city boundaries as are Countyand City Councils and GAA teams,and this identification bestows localownership on the services that VECsprovide. Far from being remote, face-less and bureaucratic organisations,VECs are part and parcel of the day-to-day life of every county in Ireland.

● ‘An Bord Snip acknowledges that theabolition of 11 VECs is, at best, onlylikely to realise savings of €3 millionand that such savings can only beachieved over a number of years. Is itworth weakening a vital piece of localinfrastructure, in the hope of achievingsuch a financial saving?’

● ‘VECs are very conscious of the needfor efficiencies and innovation andthe VEC National Partnership Forum(VECNPF) has worked in co-operationwith management and unions, for anumber of years to achieve significantsavings and efficiencies and thisprocess is ongoing’.

● Also, ‘VECs have developed a leadagency model of operation wherebyone VEC takes responsibility for co-ordinating and supporting an education/training programme nationwide andthis has significantly improved boththe efficiency and effectiveness ofprogramme delivery’.

● ‘VECs contribute massively towardsthe accumulation of social and humancapital. Is it not time to recognisesocial costs and benefits as well asfinancial costs and benefits’?

● ‘County identity and loyalty havebeen deeply ingrained in the Irishpsyche by the GAA for over 100years’.

● ‘Each VEC is an effective, transparentand highly regarded local statutoryeducation authority – an authority thatidentifies with its local community, andits local community with it’.

● ‘Provincial Ireland has been strippedof too many of its assets. At a time ofobvious need for locally-basededucation services, it is importantthat our Government stands behindour local education authority frameworkand rejects the advice of thosewho seem to have no apparentcomprehension of the heart andsoul of the Irish identity.’

Minister must intervene to ensureyoung, low skilled unemployedhave a future

● ‘IVEA is convinced that failing toprovide upskilling opportunities foryoung people leaving school withrelatively low qualifications andyoung people with low qualificationslosing their jobs, is a recipe for serioussocial disintegration’.

● ‘These young people have no realexperience of the world of work andare effectively unemployable. If wedesert them now, they will driftindefinitely on the unemploymentscrap-heap’.

● ‘Education, training and the world ofwork, must connect with these youngpeople before they become lost inthe twilight zone inhabited by theunemployable’.

● Failure to act during the last recession,created ‘urban wastelands, whichwe still seek to reclaim today frompermanent unemployment, hopeless-ness and crime – despite a dozenyears of the ‘Celtic Tiger’.

● ‘IVEA acknowledges that this is aproblem that VECs and the educationsector, alone, cannot solve.Government departments such asEnterprise, Trade and Employmentand Social and Family Affairs alsohave a role to play, as do the unionsand the business world’. ‘All theseconstituencies must be broughttogether (under the chairmanship ofthe Minister for Education and

Science) to find a creative and

coherent way, having regard for our

financial circumstances, of putting

in place education and training

programmes relevant to the needs

of these young people ...’

● Could we not ‘put some kind of

traineeships in place that would

involve a balanced mix of work-

experience and education, with

those completing these ‘traineeships’

receiving FETAC qualifications at

levels 4, 5 and even 6? Such

programmes could be provided

in the context of the current PLC

provision’.

● ‘There is a need for an extra 10,000

to 15,000 PLC places, not the 1,500

extra places that have been allocated,

if we are going to go any way towards

addressing the needs of those young

people’.

● ‘We hear much about the creation of

infrastructure and physical capital but

there is another side to the equation –

social and human capital’.

● ‘If a housing estate remains unsold for

five years, its utility is not significantly

diminished. However, if a group of

low-skilled young people are left to

survive on the ‘dole’ for a similar period,

the task of re-integrating them into

mainstream society at the end of this

period presents a huge challenge

and the social and financial costs of

meeting that challenge wil l be

considerable. It is not simply a matter

of taking people out of moth balls and

dusting them down’.

● ‘IVEA’s concern is that some

McCarthy Report recommendations

may kill rather than cure ... may

lobotomise education and related

services – with disastrous effects’.

In concluding her remarks, Ms Bohan

said VECs had ‘contributed hugely to

improving educational provision over the

course of a century’ and that a ‘strong

VEC sector and a strong IVEA voice is

vital to ensuring that Irish education is

appropriately resourced and organised

to ensure that Irish learners (young and not

so young) are given the best possible

opportunity to make the most of their

talents – in the family, in the community

and in the workplace’.

5WINTER 2009

IVEA Congress 2009

THE 105th Annual IVEA Congress took place at the ClareInn Hotel, Dromoland from 16th to 17th September 2009.

This two-day event, hosted by Co. Clare VEC, featured manyinteresting contributions from both delegates and presenters.There was also the usual lively debate and banter which makesIVEA Congress a unique occasion in the education calendar.

Congress was opened by Cllr Tony Mulcahy, Mayor of Clareand Mr Pat Crehan of Co. Clare VEC. This was immediatelyfollowed by IVEA’s Annual General Meeting where the 2008/9Annual Report was presented to delegates by the GeneralSecretary. The Honorary Treasurers’ Report was presentedfollowed by motions to the floor of Congress.

Day two of Congress opened with further debates on motionssubmitted by member VECs. Next on the agenda was thekeynote debate entitled “Upskilling – The Principal Driver ofFuture Prosperity – Reality or Mirage?” with a panel of speakersincluding: Mr Paul O’Toole, Director General, FÁS; Dr PhilipO’Connell, Programme Co-ordinator of Labour Marketresearch at the ESRI; Mr Pat O’Mahony, Education ResearchOfficer, IVEA; Mr Seamus Hempenstall, Principal Officer,Department of Education and Science – with the paneldiscussion chaired by Ms Jacinta Stewart CEO, CDVEC.

An emergency motion opposing the Bord Snip proposal toreduce the number of VECs from 33 to 22 opened the afternoonsession. This motion was contentiously debated and featuredmemorable contributions from a number of delegates beforebeing passed.

Official addresses by IVEA President Ms Mary Bohan whocalled on the Government ‘to insulate education from the shell-shocks of further resource cutbacks; to preserve the currentVEC system and to provide upskilling for young people with lowskills’ provided strong food for thought. Mr Batt O'Keeffe T.D.,

Minister for Education and Science, then addressed Congressreferencing the need for ‘a restructured VEC system’ as part ofthe overall public service transformation strategy. He addedthat ‘it is possible to strike a good balance through a reasonableaggregation of counties to achieve a critical mass that canunderpin better service delivery’. The Minister stressed howeverthat ‘individual county representation would be preserved in thecomposition of each new body’. In closing, the Minister statedhe would consider any written submissions the IVEA and VECsmight wish to make, but emphasised the need to have a‘shared services approach’ and that ‘a revised structure willbetter facilitate taking on new tasks’.

IVEA General Secretary, Michael Moriarty, recorded a vote ofthanks to the Minister picking up on a number of key pointsraised by the Minister. The remaining conference pleanarysessions were given over to further debates on motions andconcluded with an election for a vacant IVEA Officer Boardposition for the coming year. IVEA’s Officer Board for 2009/10thus comprises the following persons:

President: Cllr Mary Bohan, Co. Leitrim VEC

Vice-presidents: Mr Pat Kilbane, Co. Mayo VECCllr Noel O'Connor, Co. Cork VEC

Honorary Secretary: Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh, Co.Kilkenny VEC

Honorary Treasurer: Mr Ted Fitzgerald, Kerry Education Service

Assistant HonorarySecretary: Cllr Denis Foley, Co. Carlow VEC

IVEA expresses its deep appreciation to all delegates andguests who attended and contributed to Congress and inparticular, to Mr George O’Callaghan CEO, Co. Clare VEC and themembers of the VE Committee in Co. Clare for their support inthe planning and hosting of a very successful conference.

IVEA Congress 2009 – In ReviewBy Paul Mahon, IVEA

SECTION 1

Batt O’KeeffeT.D., Ministerfor Educationand ScienceaddressingIVEA Congress2009

6 WINTER 2009

Section 29 High Court Ruling in favour ofCo. Westmeath VEC welcomed by IVEAThe High Court judgment on July 10th last, in favour of Co.Westmeath VEC which appealed the decision of a Section 29Committee to overturn a decision of a school Board ofManagement not to enrol a pupil, was welcomed by the IrishVocational Education Association (IVEA).

This decision validates the authority of the school Board ofManagement to act in the interests of the school and it furtherconfirms the role conferred on VEC Boards of Management bythe Education Act (1998) and the Vocational EducationAmendment Act (2001). The Court, presided over by JusticeDaniel O’Keeffe, found that the Department of Education andScience’s appeals committee did not have the right to compel aschool to take on a difficult or disruptive student expelled byanother school.

Co. Westmeath VEC’s Chief Executive Mr Gearóid Ó Brádaighhailed the landmark decision which will make it “more difficult forsecondary schools to offload disruptive pupils onto other schools”.He said that the ruling would have “profound implications” forthe future implementation of Section 29 of the Education Act,which allows parents to appeal a school’s refusal to enrol astudent.

The High Court ruling was welcomed becauseit asserts the supremacy of the school Boardof Management over a Section 29 AppealsCommittee established by the Department ofEducation and Science.

IVEA General Secretary, Michael Moriarty, commented that “aschool Board of Management has recognised functions andhas authority to act in the interests of the school. IVEA and itsmember VECs have often taken issue with the apparentexcessive powers of Section 29 Committees”. He stated that“IVEA has been arguing for some time that Section 29 AppealsCommittees seem to view themselves as a school placementservice. School enrolment policies need to be practical, inclusive,appropriate and transparent and in this context, the current appealsprocess is often perceived as unfairly weighted against schoolBoards of Management”. He also complimented the convictionand determination of Co. Westmeath VEC which rightly hadbeen underpinnned by the Court’s decision in its favour.

The official High Court judgement can be downloaded from: http://www.courts.ie/Judgments.nsf/bce24a8184816f1580256ef30048ca50/236fafdc02e77b928025762d004e12bd?OpenDocument

Around the Country – Second Level Stories

SUMMER FUN AT MOYNE COLLEGEAND ST TIERNAN’S COLLEGE

Pupils who were starting Moyne College, Ballina and St.Tiernan’s College, Crossmolina last September had theopportunity of attending summer camps to ease them into lifewithin the schools. The programme was funded by the NorthMayo School Completion Programme (SCP) through Co. MayoVEC. Mr John Patterson (Acting Co-ordinator) stated “these twosummer camps introduced students to life within secondaryschool through fun and educational activities. Students had theopportunity to get to know staff, the physical layout of thebuilding and to make new friends”.

Moyne College’s First Year Co-ordinator and Art Teacher, SineadMcCarthy, stated “students can very often spend the summerworrying about what their new school will be like. Throughbringing students into the school over the summer for fun andeducational activities, we can answer their questions, build uptheir self-esteem and raise their confidence levels in a relaxedand comfortable environment.”

Five students from Moyne College gave up their time to mentorthe new first year students. The students in both schools participatedin a range of activities including arts, crafts, baking, metal design,sports, team building and African drumming, table tennis coaching,pool and the new craze of ‘speedstacks’.

For more information about the SCP Programme, contact John/Sheila at 096 21472 or 087 670 3710 (North Mayo) and SarahSheridan at 094 9023060 (South Mayo).

7WINTER 2009

SECTION 2

INFORMATION and CommunicationsTechnology (ICT) is now an acceptedelement in our society and has a centralrole to play in all Kerry Education Service(KES) schools. KES schools haveembraced technology and continue toadvance the process of integrating ICTinto the school curriculum. The presentdebate about ICT in education concen-trates on the potential impact of ICT onteaching and learning and on themeasures that need to be adopted toensure that the potential of ICT to enrichstudents’ learning experience is realised.The increased permeation of ICT in ourmodern society has led to the concept ofa knowledge-based society – one aspectof which is the knowledge-based economywhich is vital to our future prosperity. Theuse of ICT in KES schools over the lastdecade has added value to teaching andlearning by enhancing the effectivenessof learning. When used effectively, ICTenriches learning and enhances teaching.It invigorates classroom activities andis a powerful motivational tool thatencourages learners to progress in amore personalised and self-directedways. The most recent development inKES schools has been the implementationof the new syllabus in Design andCommunications Technology (DCG) atLeaving Cert i f icate which has acompulsory element of computer graphicsfor subject assessment.

Integrating ICT Multimedia Educationin the Transition Year ProgrammeKerry Education Service in supporting thedevelopment of an eLearning culture, hasidentified the importance of integratingmodern ICT and Multimedia education intheir schools. With the objective that ICTwill be embedded in teaching and learning

across the school curriculum, a pilotproject incorporating Information andCommunication Technology andMultimedia Education will be integratedinto the Transition Year Programme. ThisMultimedia based modular project willembrace the objectives of the TransitionYear (TY) Programme and in parallel,explore the use of modern multimediatechnology applicable to a moderneLearning environment. The use ofmodern ICT multimedia will enhance theobjectives of the TY programme whileproviding opportunities for students todevelop new ICT based skills. The use ofICT multimedia will therefore play acentral role and act as a cross-curriculartheme in the implementation of theobjectives of the TY Programme.

Integrating ICT Multimedia into theTransition Year programme will involvethe effective use of a Virtual LearningEnvironment (VLE) incorporating highend web-based multimedia technology.The initiative aims to permeate andintegrate ICT acrosss the TY programmeproviding classroom activities in apowerful motivational medium thatencourages learners to progress in amore personalised and self-directedway. The programme incorporates thedevelopment of key ICT skills which areused by the students to record thevariety of activities involved in theTransition Year Programme. The syllabusin its present form, consists of thefollowing core and specialist modules.

Core modules

(1) Computer hardware and infra-structure

(2) Software applications and Internetsecurity

(3) Internet and email applications

(4) File management and use of aNetwork environment

(5) Digital content and Multimedia

Specialist modules

(6) Desktop Publication skills andapplications

(7) Powerpoint Presentation skills

(8) Wordprocessing skills

(9) Digital Imagery and Processing

(10) Website Design

(11) Virtual Learning Environment.

(12) Digital Portfolio and Presentationof class materials.

The completion of individual and group-based modules will qualify for a school-based award of the ICT Multimedia inEducation Certificate.

Using ICT to enrich teaching and learningin Kerry Education Service Schools

By Pat Lawlor, ICT Advisor, Kerry Education Service

8 WINTER 2009

ST Ailbe’s School, Tipperary Town, achieved its third All-Irelandvictory in the National Finals of the F1 in Schools TechnologyChallenge held on the 28 April 2009 at Griffith College, Dublinwhen Team Blink defeated 24 other finalists to become OverallWinners.

The extraordinary success St Ailbe’s has enjoyed in thiscompetition over the past four years is due to the enthusiasmand dedication of both the students and their teachers MrMichael Quirke and Mr Sean Fitzpatrick. The ‘F1 in SchoolsCompetition’ is run by The Irish Computer Society and spon-sored by Honda Ireland. The competition is open to all second-ary schools and students are required to design and manufac-ture CO2-powered racing cars. Student teams compete againsteach other in a National Championship to determine the best-engineered and fastest car in Ireland. The Competition is an excitingeducational experience, enabling students to express theircreativity, skills and team working ability in a fun and positive way.

Team Blink’s Nathan Dunne, Olivia Breen, Simon Ryan, MatthewRyan and Daniel Bresnan (fourth and fifth year students) cametogether in November 2008. The team set to work immediatelypreparing for the regional finals which were held on the 28February 2009 in the University of Limerick. They manufacturedtheir F1 car, secured sponsorship, created a logo and website

and produced a marketing plan, team stand and Portfolio. Theteam website was created by the students using a package calledWeb Easy 7 and the Portfolio was made mostly with MicrosoftPublisher which the students had to learn to use. The car wasdesigned with the use of Solidworks, a computer program whichis also used in the Leaving Certificate DCG course. Team Blinkqualified for the National Finals winning Best Use of ICT/CAD,Fastest Car and Best Engineered Car at regional level.

Team Blink then set about preparing for the National Finals.Lunchtimes, after school, weekends, mid-terms and holidays sawthe fiercely dedicated team and their teachers working on theproject. Sponsorship was secured from more than fifty companieswith ‘Tipperary Print and Design’ being the main sponsor. TheTeam Stand was upgraded with the help of the ex-ChiefFabricator of Toyota F1 who supplied the team with a front wing,brake discs and calibres. Most importantly the F1 Car wasredesigned and improved. All this dedication and hard work paidoff on the 28 April 2009 when Team Blink went on to win BestEngineered Car, Fastest Car, 1st place in the SeniorCategory and most importantly be declared Overall NationalChampions.

Team Blink will represent St Ailbe’s School and Ireland at the ‘F1in Schools World Championships’ in 2010.

St Ailbe’s Team Blinkare All Ireland ChampionsBy Nathan Dunne (Fifth year student 2008/9 St. Ailbe’s School, Tipperary Town and member of ‘Team Blink’)

Jim Friars, ICS, presents Team Blink with their trophy as All Ireland Champions in the ‘F1 in Schools Technology Challenge 2009’.Students l-r: Matthew Ryan, Daniel Bresnan, Olivia Breen, Nathan Dunne, Simon Ryan.

Around the Country – Second Level Stories

9WINTER 2009

SECTION 2

‘All countries that have pulled out of recession are those thathave invested in education.There is a way out of thisrecession and Youthreachhas a vital part to play in it’...said Dr John SweeneyNRSC, speaking at theNAYC conference inAthlone, 2009.

Funded originally with European money,Youthreach was set up twenty years agoby VECs to provide skills and educationto the many otherwise able young peoplewaiting patiently during an earlier recessionfor the economy to pick up and for jobsto become available. In 2009, in acomparable economic situation,Youthreach is now a well-established ifunder-acknowledged VEC educationalservice, readily available to meet theneeds of the increasing number of youngpeople turning to the essential educationservice it offers. A recent Department ofEducation and Science Value-for-MoneyEvaluation gave the scheme a clean billof health – recording that “not onlydid Youthreach achieve its aims but itdid so with modest resources” –confirming Youthreach’s professionalismand success.

Youthreach is now a VEC managednetwork of over 100 centres nationwide,each catering for 25 or more 15-20 yearolds, offering a variety of LeavingCertificate Applied or FETAC coursesdesigned to help those whom the regularschool system has left behind eitherthrough social difficulties, learningdisabilities or a need for a system moregeared to the individual than the mainstreamsystem can provide. With innovativeprogrammes designed to bring out thebest in the students, Youthreach centresoffer core subjects like Maths, Literacyand Computing through to training skillssuch as Woodwork, Metalwork, Art, GraphicDesign and Childcare. It also involvesstudents in developing communityawareness through participation in GaisceAwards, enterprise programmes, drama,sailing, outward bound activities, websitedesign and other communications skills.

A book of Youthreach experiences‘Annals of Achievement’ collated byNational Co-ordinator Dr Dermot Stokesis shortly to be published. It cataloguesthe heart-warming testimonies ofYouthreach graduates since its beginning.Many joined with little confidence orqualifications or much hope of gainingany, but left with their futures more assuredand with a portfolio of qualifications andexperience that has seen most move backinto PLC colleges or into employment. DrStokes’ book is essential reading foreducation professionals, communities,parents and prospective Youthreachstudents themselves, written in their ownwords and identifying successes not justin education, some to third level, but inpersonal and professional lives withmany ex-students now running their ownbusinesses.

The NAYC, the national associationrepresenting Co-ordinators of Youthreach

in all VECs, serves as a mutually supportingprofessional body which enriches the workof the service through sharing experiences,successes, problems and generallypromoting the best that Youthreach hasto offer. The NAYC is built on regionalmeetings attended monthly by all Co-ordinators. Regions elect a representa-tive to meet at regular national executivemeetings with the elected Chair, Vice-chair, Treasurer, Secretary, PublicRelations Officer and Newsletter Editor.The Association is recognised andfunded by the Department of Educationand as well as representing Youthreachin discussions at national level onrelevant developments and policy, it alsopromotes the work of the service throughits newsletter and training, and meetingswith key stakeholders and others at itsannual conference.

For further information please contact MsLorraine O’Leary on youthrh@eircom.net

Youthreach - one of the best achievements ofthe last 20 years of education policy

By Lorraine O Leary, Chairperson, National Association of Youthreach Coordinators (NAYC)

Co. Limerick VEC Youthreach Students receive Young Citizen’s Award l-r Declan White LCA 2, Lorraine O’Leary-Bustos, Co-ordinator, Aine O’Toole LCA 2,Nicky English LCA 2, Tina Cronin LCA 1, Karl Butler LCA 2, Eimear Brophy AEO, Co.Limerick VEC

10 WINTER 2009

LOCATED in Dundalk’s SustainableEnergy Zone, O’Fiaich College pridesitself on being one of the best equippedpost-primary and further educationcolleges in the North East. However, witha building that was designed and built inthe late 1960’s, its Principal, PadraigMcGovern, was delighted with theDepartment of Education and Science’sproposal to refurbish the College.

The original building was exceptionallycold and draughty and was virtuallyimpossible to heat. As part of therefurbishment, the building’s insulation hasbeen improved and made more energyefficient. The Department gave specialattention to the upgrade and the resultshave been so impressive that O’FiaichCollege is now a flagship project for theDepartment and will be used as a modelfor all similar future upgrades throughoutthe country.

Co. Louth VEC’s Eco-School

Minister for Education and Science Batt O’Keeffe T.D. pictured at Congress 2009 with Gearóid Ó Brádaigh CEO, Co. Westmeath VECand Pat O’Connor CEO, Co. Dublin VEC

Around the Country – Second Level Stories

Upgrading took place in two phases, withphase 1 being completed in the summerof 2006. In this phase, the roof wasrefurbished as were the mechanical andelectrical services. Phase 2 completedin summer 2007. The exterior of thebuilding was re-clad with insulated foamcladding, conserving heat whilesimultaneously giving the building amake-over. The old aluminium windowswere replaced by double glazed unitswith state of the art e-glass. Todemonstrate the improvement, theengineers calculated the air-tightness; ameasure of the amount of air leakagefrom the building — before and after theimprovements. They recorded a 70%reduction in leakage which meansmassive savings in heating, lessdraughts and more comfortable conditionsfor staff and students.

Other improvements included thereplacement of inefficient lighting with lowenergy fittings controlled by occupancyand daylight sensors and the insulationof all heating pipes. At the entrance theusually open doors were replaced withautomatic doors. Overall this 1960’sbuilding now has nearly three times betterenergy performance than buildingregulations require for new buildings.

The work has been such a success thatthe school has not only benefited fromefficiency upgrades and energy savingsbut it has also seen a marked increase inthe demand for evening/night courses.O’Fiaich College, as well as operating alarge day school, is also the largest adulteducation centre in Co. Louth. As aresult of the improvements, the demandfor use of the building has increased.

11WINTER 2009

Senior Traveller Training Centres – A Profile

SENIOR Traveller Training Centres(STTCs) were established by VECs in 1974to provide basic compensatory educationfor Travellers and they now cater forTraveller students over 18 years of age,with no upper age limit. There is a networkof thirty-three centres throughout thecountry. The positive affirmation model, tocounter exclusion and discriminationagainst Travellers has been at the fore-front of Government policy for TravellerCentres up to 2006.

The Travellers Educational StrategyReport, in 2006, signalled a need for achange to this policy in favour of a moreinclusive model and consequently thegradual ending of a segregated deliveryof educational services to Travellers. Thisapproach was welcomed by the STTCNetwork and was affirmed in the STTCStrategic Plan, 2008-2012, in partnershipwith the IVEA, NATC and the Directors’Association. In 2008, building on thisapproach, the Department of Educationand Science in the ‘Value for Money Reviewfor STTC and Youthreach’ identified asuitable timeframe of 10-15 years for STTCintegration. In 2009, in the McCarthyReport, there is a recommendation thatthis integration be achieved in 2-3 years.The STTC Network now fears that thisaccelerated timeframe will only result inthe further exclusion of Travellers fromsecond-chance education provision, ifthey fail to transfer from the STTCnetwork to other adult and furthereducation programmes.

The aim of the Centres is to provideTravellers with the knowledge and skillsrequired to successfully make the transitionto work and adult life and to participatefully in their communities. The target groupis people, over 18 years of age who haveleft school with either minimal or noqualifications and particular effort is made toencourage parents into the programme,given the impact this can have on theirchildren's subsequent participation inschooling. The programme is aided by theEuropean Social Fund. STTC's now havebecome integrated, inclusive and adult-oriented in their approach.

The centres are administered locallythrough VECs and by means of community-

based Management Committees, whichare statutory sub-committees of VECs.These Boards comprise of members of theVEC, local representative organisationsand members of the Traveller community.The centres have been successful inimparting the essential skills of literacy,numeracy, social & life skills, Woodwork,Metalwork, community development,personal health and Home Economics,among many others, for Travellers whohave left school after primary level or whomay not have gone to school at all. Manyadult Travellers are now availing ofsecond-chance education in centres; theyare returning back to education in largenumbers. They recognise the value thateducation provides in the context ofbreaking the cycle of educational andsocial disadvantage that their communityhas experienced for many years.

As well as providing essential educationin a more holistic-centred approach,they help to break down the barrier ofdiscrimination and engender more co-operation and respect between theTraveller community and the 'settled'community. The increased adoption ofeducational programmes in Centres,accredited by FETAC, has resulted inbroad-based educational provision asopposed to the provision of literacy andnumeracy in the context of trainingprogrammes designed to prepare studentsfor future full-time paid employment forwhich centres were established in the firstplace.

The programme is delivered over twoyears and this training period can beextended if necessary to facilitate accessto Leaving Certificate qualifications orequivalent. The programme integratescore skills into all aspects of Travellers’experiences. Programmes place a keyemphasis on the core skills of literacy,numeracy, communications and newtechnology skills, while providing a rangeof vocational options allied with a workexperience programme. The programmeis designed to be flexible to respond tothe needs, talents and interests identifiedby Travellers.

The adoption and implementation ofeducational programmes in all centres

certified by the FETAC, has been oftremendous benefit to the Travellercommunity as it allowed them theopportunity to achieve equality ofoutcomes with their counterparts in thesettled community. The range ofprogression options is widened to ensurea range of choices in the education ortraining sectors.

A team approach is adopted in centres,with staff agreeing on the mission statement,centre policies and with delivery of theprogramme subject to ongoing self-appraisal and review under theDepartment’s Quality FrameworkInitiative for Youthreach and STTCProgrammes. There is now a qualityassurance process developed for thesecentres based upon the principles ofgood practice and new developmentswith regard to meeting the new guide-lines laid down by FETAC.

Local referral networks have a key roleto play in the successful delivery of theprogrammes in centres; links with schools,youth organisations, Probation, JuvenileLiaison Service, Education Welfare andHealth Services are important in ensuringthat those in need have access to appro-priate programmes. Centres have forgedthese links in a manner that promotesan integrated area-based response to tack-ling the educational disadvantage of theTravelling community.

It will be important going forward, that theeducation provision for Travellers isneeds’ focused and due recognition isgiven to cultural identity and diversity ofthe Traveller community. The inclusion ofadult Travellers in Further Education needsto happen at a pace that is comfortablewith the changes that are happening forTravellers and settled people. It isimportant that they have a supported safespace on this journey and that theintegration timeframe arrives at a realintegration. This will require joined-upthinking and practice among all thoseinvolved in the delivery of FurtherEducation and area-based responses tosocial inclusion.

Further information is available onwww.sttc.ie

SECTION 3

By Mr Shay Byrne, Chairperson, STTC Directors’ Association

12 WINTER 2009

TUESDAY, 2 June, saw the official openingby the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr BrianBermingham and Minister for Educationand Science, Mr Batt O’Keeffe T.D., of theEducation Services Centre andResidential Facility at 107/108, DouglasStreet, Cork.

This Centre is a unique partnershipbetween Cork City VEC and Cork CityCouncil. The newly built complex inDouglas Street rehabilitates animportant inner city site which has beenderelict for many years. The façade of theformer post office, a listed structure,has been sensitively incorporated intothe new building which includes:

1. An Adult Education ServicesCentre for one-to-one and smallgroup tuition – to complement facilitiesat St John’s Central College with AdultBasic Education Services provided bythe VEC Adult Literacy Service/Altrusa.

2. A Crèche/Childcare Facility for 50children, whose parents are attendingFurther Education programmes at StJohn’s, the College of Commerce and

other education and training facilities.

3. Five (5) one-bedroom and five (5)two-bedroom apartments for adultsin accommodation transition and whocontract to attend an accreditededucation/training programme. ThisCork City Council facility is managedby the Sofia Housing Association. Theaim and objective of this pilot project isto support people who are at risk ofhomelessness or in homeless servic-

es to establish and maintain theirhome and sustain an educationcourse. Residents are provided withsafe, secure accommodation with alow level of support while taking part ineducation.

4. A Student Service Centre withStudent Welfare looking after disabilityservices, crèche placements, links toaccommodation provision and soon.

Around the Country – Adult and Further Education Stories

Douglas Street Education Services Centreand Residential Facility officially openedBy John O’Regan, Principal Officer, City of Cork VEC

City of Cork CEO, Ted Owens, speaking at the opening of the Douglas Street Centre

THE role of the Adult Education Officer (AEO) is apivotal one in the management and delivery of AdultEducation Services by Vocational EducationCommittees.

In the current context of lifelong learning, VEC AdultEducation Services comprise a myriad of programmestargeted at second chance learners and also position life-long learning within the wider local development and socialinclusion agendas. The typical Adult Education Service willemploy full, part-time and contracted teaching staff.Education programmes are delivered in a variety of learningcentres and include both outreach and partnership pro-grammes. Typically Adult Education Officers manage annu-al budgets of several million euro.

The role of the Adult Education Officer is to manage anddevelop the Adult Education Service. On a county/citylevel, the AEO manages the delivery of programmes thatare relevant, allow progression through the National

Framework of Qualifications and are based in locationsappropr iate to the Serv ice. These programmestraditionally include: Youthreach, the Vocational TrainingOpportunities Scheme, the Back to Education Initiative,Adult Basic Education, Community Education, AdultGuidance and self-financing Adult Education programmes.One of the aims of an Adult Education Service is to fosterinclusive learning environments that meet the needs oflearners and respect multiculturalism. The variety of aimsenables the Adult Education Officer to work in a strategicrole in the management of policy issues and people.

In recent years and particularly as we enter a period ofeconomic downturn, lifelong learning is at the centre ofnational and EU policies. Responding to the National SkillsStrategy (2007) is a key challenge for Adult EducationServices within VECs. The delivery of upski l l ingprogrammes and the maintenance of adults and newunemployed within lifelong learning, will be the challengegoing forward.

The Role of the Adult Education OfficerBy Eimear Brophy, Public Relations Officer, Adult Education Officers’ Association (AEOA)

13WINTER 2009

THE Adult Educational Guidance Initiative(AEGI) began as a pilot programmeestablished by the Department ofEducation and Science in 2000, followingrecommendations in Learning for Life:(the) White Paper on Adult Education(2000). A total of 41 Services have beenestablished under the AEGI, which havebeen funded under the NationalDevelopment Plan. The majority ofServices are managed by VECs.

The AEGI originally set out to targetlearner participants on VocationalTraining Opportunity Schemes (VTOS),Adult Literacy and Adult and CommunityEducation Programmes including thoseengaged on the Back to EducationInitiative. In 2006, the remit of theservice was expanded to include formerresidents of educational institutions andtheir adult offspring who are clients of theEducation Finance Board.

The AEGI is now in its tenth year andis considered both nationally andinternationally, to be a model of bestpractice for the delivery of professional,client-centred and impartial adult guidanceservices.

Service Provision: AEGI Services arestaffed by professional GuidanceCounsellors and Information Officers whoprovide a range of key guidance supportsincluding:

● A drop-in information service forlearners and the general public

● One-to-one guidance counselling onan appointment basis with advocacyand follow up for as long as isneeded

● Group sessions for learners in studyskills, vocational and career informationetc.

● Training in frontline guidance andcounselling for tutors and providers

● Outreach services to other locations ● Referral to welfare, health and other

appropriate services and supports.Client-centred: AEGI services adopt aclient-centred approach to working with

clients. This means that each client’sindividual circumstances are treated withrespect and their starting point honoured.All aspects of a client’s life are consideredin developing an appropriate progressionpath and this leads to decisions that areappropriate and sustainable.

Each client is offered as much support asis needed to facilitate their progressionand this can include advocacy toeducational providers and supportorganisations, multiple sessions to decidethe appropriate way forward and proactivefollow up to ensure that a client achievesthe goals they have set for themselves.

Evaluations of the AEGI have demonstratedthat contact with professional, impartialand client-centred guidance services hasa positive impact on clients, by promotingchanges in their attitudes to learning andprompting them to consider possibleprogression opportunities in educationand training.

Impartial, Independent andConfidential: AEGI services offerimpartial and independent advice, infor-mation and guidance on educational andvocational options and offers support toclients in deciding which options are mostappropriate. Personal issues andbarriers to progression are discussed inthis context and a confidential environmentencourages clients to appraise their lifesituation honestly and enables thedevelopment of a learning plan that isinspiring and achievable.

Referral and Progression: Clients of theAEGI services are encouraged to considerprogression in terms that are appropriateto the individual. For some, progressionrefers to the attainment of higher levelqualifications. For others, progressioninvolves building confidence, core skills ortaking up a hobby or new interest. Formany, progression is a combination of allof these.

AEGI services work closely with localeducation providers to identify needs and

plan provision for guidance support forlearners. Since the inception of theprogramme, over 30,000 individuals haveaccessed AEGI services includingsignificant numbers of adults from outsidethe designated target groups e.g. somepeople with learning difficulties, physicaldisabil i t ies and/or mental healthproblems, unemployed people and foreignnationals.

Innovation and Best Practice: The AEGIhas developed models of good practicethat are capable of wider application andof informing future policy. Services havedeveloped a range of models of guidancedelivery to suit a variety of needs.Innovative practice has been a keyfeature of the Initiative and guidancepractitioners have developed expertise inmeeting the specific needs of learners.The services have been monitored andevaluated regularly and training has beenprovided for staff to develop and refinetheir skills.

The sharing of best practice has been keyto Service development. A centralisedmanagement system has allowedinformation to be easily shared ensuringduplication is avoided and allowing for thebest service being available to the client.

Two examples are:● The provision of outreach services to

client groups that are hard to reach,and techniques developed to providegood follow-up for these individuals.

● Identifying gaps in educational provisionfor adult learners to inform futureplanning.

Evaluations of the services carried out overthe six years have found that innovativeapproaches to the delivery of guidanceand client-specific models have beeneffective in integrating educational guidanceinto local learning provision.

Activation and the NationalPerspective: This recession has had aparticularly devastating effect on manypeople and the AEGI services are right

SECTION 3

The Adult Educational Guidance InitiativeA practitioner perspective from the

Adult Educational Guidance Association of Ireland (AEGAI)By Sean Debney (Vice-chairman) and Siobhan White (PRO), AEGAI

14 WINTER 2009

Around the Country – Adult and Further Education Stories

at the frontline in helping those affect-ed. Adult Educational Guidance hasnever had a more vital role to play inhelping unemployed people decide thesteps they need to take to create newopportunities for employment and careerprogression. The AEGI offers a welltested best practice model for theactivation of those disenfranchised bythis recession.

The increase in public awareness ofeducational opportunities in the currentclimate and the rising number ofunemployed seeking education andtraining opportunities has resulted in ahuge increase in the demand for AdultEducational Guidance services nationally.It is clear that the current level of staffingin many AEGI services is insufficient to meetthe demands on the service an insufficiency

which is only compounded by the inclusionof AEGI staff within the moratorium onPublic Service recruitment. It is also clearthat only by the continued investment inAdult Educational Guidance, will the Statebe able to meet the complex needs ofthose needing to upskill and retrain inorder to take advantage of opportunitiesin the emerging knowledge-basedeconomy.

Welcomed by Mr Pat O’Connor CEO and MsMarie Griffin EO, Minister of State forIntegration, John Curran T.D., recived a warmand friendly reception when he recentlyofficially opened an Art Exhibition in Co.Dublin VEC’s administrative offices, Tallaght.Displays included a range of work bystudents on the National Adult RefugeeProgramme; a Government funded integrationprogramme administered nationally byCounty Dublin VEC.

The exhibition started life as a project by theAdult Refugee Programme class in Sligo,who, over a six week project, worked with avariety of Art mediums including clay, collage,printmaking and painting to create an endproduct through which they could communicatetheir hopes, dreams, ambitions and memories.At an initial exhibition mounted in Sligo,the work was used as an interactive andcommunicative tool with visitors who includedmany local community groups as well as aworking group visiting from Europe.

The initial work in Sligo was added to, withwork from a recently arrived resettlementgroup from the Congo also on display, as wellas a cross-section of work from across the 36classes currently run nationally through theAdult Refugee Programme.

The Minister commented on the highquality of the work, citing the exhibition as anexample of how Art and the Arts in general,can act as powerful integration tools workingside by side with communication through theEnglish language.

Co. Dublin VEC’s AdultRefugee Programme –

Art Exhibition

15WINTER 2009

SECTION 3

When taken at its broadest level, adult literacy can be seen as thebasic skills an individual needs to interact successfully with thesociety in which they live. The National Adult Literacy Agencydefines literacy as the skills of “...listening and speaking, reading,writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicateand handle information. It includes more than the technical skillsof communication: it also has personal, social and economicdimensions” NALA Strategic Plan 2007-2010.

Our changed economic circumstances provides a renewed needfor vigor in our efforts in adult literacy. To move forward sociallyor economically in the current difficult circumstances, we need toprovide a solid base for all members of society to ensure the goodtimes return and that this time everyone benefits.

The impact of Adult LiteracyFor those of us involved in adult literacy provision and forpolicy makers alike, the 1995 International Adult Literacy Surveyundertaken by the OECD was a seminal moment. The Reportshowed that a significant number of the Irish population haveproblems with basic tasks in literacy and numeracy (DES ERC1997). The survey classed about 25% of the population in Level 1(the lowest in a five-part scale) in respect of document, prose andquantitative literacy. This finding placed Ireland second onlyin the survey to Poland out of 22 countries surveyed.

Importantly, the Report also indentified a link between lower levelsof literacy and levels of social disadvantage and poverty. Acrossthe country learners attending Adult Literacy Services come fromthe bottom 40% of income distribution, regardless of a rural orurban setting. So it stands to reason that the work carried out byVEC Adult Literacy Services is vital to bringing people out of povertyand as a means of improving their contribution to the social andeconomic status of the country. Significantly, as part of NALA’scost-benefit analysis of adult literacy provision undertaken in20091, the agency identified that “it is possible to work out that theannual income gain per increase of one level on the NQF [NationalFramework of Qualifications] is €3,810 and the impact on theExchequer in terms of reduced social welfare transfers andincreased tax payments, is €1,531 per annum”.

In terms of the qualifications and the workplace, the National SkillsStrategy (Tomorrows Skills, Forfas, 2007) identifies that 539,500people, some 30% of the workforce, have Level 3 (JuniorCertificate) qualifications or less (with an estimated 10% having noqualifications). Looking at the benefit of adult literacy programmesin this context places their importance to Ireland’s recovery todayinto sharp focus.

How do Adult Literacy Services work?Put simply, there is no ‘one-size’ fits all approach to adult literacy inIreland and the structures used across the country vary; but this iswhere our strengths lie. It can be argued that Adult LiteracyServices, as is true of many other Adult Education programmeswithin VECs, provide a flexible, adaptable and responsive approachneeded to meet Ireland’s future education and skills requirementsin a number of ways. In particular Adult Literacy Services:

● Provide one-to-one tuition to adults through locally supportedvolunteer networks, managed and supported by the Servicesthemselves

● Meet the needs of adults by providing group tuition for smallgroups (6-8 learners on average) in reading, writing, and

numeracy, tailored to how adults learn and the specific needs ofadults with basic education needs

● Provide an avenue back to education for many adults who havetaken the decision to address their individual literacy challengesthrough the efforts of experienced and skilled staff including:Adult Literacy Organisers, Basic Education Tutors andResource and Development staff.

● Provide specific programmes to meet the needs of our functioningeconomy by providing specialized programmes in workplaces.These programmes include Skills For Work (a collaborationbetween FAS and the VECs targeting employers at a local levelto provide basic level tuition designed to upskill adults for theworkplace), Return to Education (specialised programme ofeducation for those on Community Enterprise Schemes),SkillsVEC (programmes at level 1-3 for staff of the HSE).

● Provide family learning opportunities that benefit the wider com-munity and society by helping to build modern family struc-tures that support our educational, social and economic devel-opment.

● Provide classes and learning opportunities in outreach settingsand community venues including local community centres,schools, churches etc.

Exciting developments in ICT and web-based resourcing haveseen further enhancement of the manner in which literacy tuitioncan be delivered. The development of fundamental digital skills forall adults across our society is vital to our recovery and to thedevelopment of a knowledge economy. We cannot assume that itis enough to focus on the high level-graduate as everyone in societymust interact with technology. Adult literacy programmes play animportant role in raising levels of digital skill and need to do muchmore in the years ahead. In recent times, the presentation ofincreased numbers of individuals for whom English is not afirst language, also provides services with additional interestingchallenges. Literacy programmes have played a significant role inthe services provided our new the non-Irish national communitieswith a view to assisting their integration to Irish society.

Innovation and creativity are central to how literacy programmeswork today in Ireland. A core principle for those of us working in thearea is to meet the needs of society by first meeting the needsof the person. It is vital that we continue to make our provisionrelevant to adults in today’s society and so our programmes aredesigned to deal with adults on a number of levels includingaddressing:● The career and educational aspirations of adults – important

for subsequent development of individuals and their children● The intergenerational effects of education: There is strong

evidence that by addressing low literacy amongst parents wecan positively influence children’s educational attainment helpingto reduce costs to the State in providing educational supports inschools

● Civic and cultural engagement: People with low literacy areless likely to become involved in their communities, to vote orvolunteer. While difficult to quantify, it is generally accepted thatimproving levels of community participation will positively impactlevels of crime, anti-social behavior and levels of social decay.

● Health: Adults with low levels of literacy have difficulty inidentifying health problems, managing their care and under-standing health professionals.

1 A Cost Benefit Analysis of Adult Literacy Training - Research Report –NALA, 2009)

Adult Literacy Provision in Ireland’s New Economic Climate –Providing a foundation for social and economic recovery

By Mr Colin Cummins, Chairperson, Adult Literacy Organisers’ Association (ALOA)

16 WINTER 2009

Post-Primary Education Forum (PPEF) presentation to theJoint Oireachtas Committee on Education & Science

on 22 October 2009

THE Post Primary Education Forum(PPEF) is an umbrella group consisting ofparents, trade unions and managementbodies involved in second-level educationin Ireland. Founded in November 2007,the PPEF seeks to address commonissues and establish a shared viewpointon priorities for the future developmentof second level education.

Invited to present their views to a JointOireachtas Committee on Education andScience on 22 October last, the PPEFpartners sought to stress that in this timeof recession, investment in education iscrucial for our economic recovery. Cutsalready made are having a serious andnegative impact in schools and if theeducation partners and Government aretruly committed to the development of aknowledge economy, not only do thesecuts have to be reversed but investmentin education must be increased.

The presentation highlighted thefollowing issues in particular:

The cuts already imposed:Surveys on schools conducted by four ofthe education partners including IVEA,highlighted remarkable consistency interms of the impact of the cuts ineducation across post-primary schools.The cuts have resulted in larger classsizes; subjects being dropped from thecurriculum; the amalgamation of higherand lower classes and of different yeargroups; whole programmes beingdropped and increased pressure onextra-curricular activities and pastoralcare.

Two particularly worrying trends emerged.The first of these is the fact that many of thesubjects being dropped and amalgamatedare those that are regarded as the mostimportant for developing the ‘knowledgeeconomy”. Among the subjects thatschools have been forced to drop areChemistry, Physics, Applied Maths,Economics, Accountancy, AgriculturalScience, French and German. Withapproximately 10% of schools losing a

modern language and 8% a Sciencesubject, it is clear that these cuts arehaving a negative impact on the capacityof second level schools to produce themodern well-educated and flexible work-force so necessary for our economicrecovery. The amalgamation of higher andlower level classes in such subjects asMathematics, French and BusinessStudies is a further negative consequenceof the reduction in teacher numbers.

These trends are accompanied byincreases in class sizes as a result of theincrease in the pupil-teacher ratio resultingin Ireland coming close to becoming thecountry with the largest second-levelclass sizes in the OECD.

The moratorium on fill ing middle-management posts in schools is alreadyhaving a devastating effect and there isworse to come. The nature of such amoratorium means that the effect isuneven; some schools have lost up to sevenAssistant Principals. Non-replacement ofpost-holders is placing enormous pressureon the running of schools and on the careof our students. Systems which haveproven of great benefit to the provision of

a safe and supportive environment for ourstudents, such as the Year-Head(Pastoral care) system, are now alsounder serious threat.

Hitting our most vulnerable studentshardest:Many of the cuts are hitting the most vul-nerable and disadvantaged of our stu-dents. Increases in school transport costsand the abolition of the school book grantscheme in non-DEIS schools are amongthe most obvious of these. Hard pressedparents are finding themselves with any-thing from a few hundred to more than athousand euro in extra expenses at thestart of the school year.

One of the most worrying trends from thesurveys is the number of schools whichhave had to drop programmes such asthe Leaving Certificate Applied, the LeavingCertificate Vocational Programme andTransition Year.

The abolition of Leaving CertificateApplied in many schools will not only haveserious consequences for those childrenwho availed of this programme, but it willalso have a negative impact on those

By Deirdre Keogh, IVEA

PPEF Representatives outside the Dáil following their presentation to the Joint OireachtasCommittee on Education and Science Amongst those pictured from IVEA are Michael Moriarty,Deirdre Keogh and Standing Council member Mr Jim Moore. The delegation was chaired by MrPaul Beddy and Mr Jim Moore, NPC.

IVEA News and Information

17WINTER 2009

classes that these students now join.These students will now find it moredifficult to cope in the larger ‘traditional’Leaving Certificate classes.

Increased class sizes and amalgamationof higher and lower level classes alsohave a disproportionate effect on thosestudents who are having difficulties. Manyschools have had to abolish smallerclasses designed for students who arestruggling with the curriculum.

In addressing the question of…‘Whyinvest in education?’The arguments surrounding theimportance for Ireland’s economic futureof maintaining a high quality educationsystem have been well-rehearsed. However,it is worth looking at the consequences ofincreasing or reducing our commitmentto the education of our students. If wesupport our schools, our teachers, ourparents and above all our children atthis crucial time in their lives theconsequences are positive and profound.If we fail to provide this support, theconsequences are unthinkable.

The OECD has consistently reportedthat investment in education provides asignificant economic return both to theindividual and to the society at large. Italso points out that there is a significantsocial return from investment in education,pointing out that better educated peoplelive longer, are healthier, more sociallycohesive and are more informed andeffective citizens. The stark statistic thatshows that over 90% of the inmates ofour prisons are early school leaversspeaks for itself.

Key figures such as Jim O’Hara, Intel,Martin Murphy, Hewlett Packard andPaul Rellis, Microsoft, have called on theGovernment for increased investment ineducation in general and in ICT inparticular as a vital component inIreland’s economic recovery. Investmentin education will always pay dividends.

We cannot punish a generation…It cannot be emphasised enough that theteenagers in our schools today have onlyone chance to get the best educationpossible. If they are to realise their fullpotential it is no use coming to them in tenor fifteen years to offer them a second-level education. The damage will havebeen done and for many of them it will beirreparable. We understand that Ireland isfacing difficult economic times. We know

that money is tight. However, apart fromthe fact that education will be central to ourrecovery, we cannot punish a generationfor the sins of their predecessors. Morethan that, we owe them the best possible

chance to achieve the best they can inlife. These young men and women, yourchildren and mine, will not forgive ourgeneration if we deny them this onechance!

In the questions that followed, PPEFmembers covered considerable groundin terms of the effects of the cutbacks,the need to safeguard education, thelinks between education and economicrecovery; the need for real ICT investmentin education; the effects of the cutbackson specific subjects, programmes andextra-curricular activities etc. Membersof the PPEF did acknowledge some ofthe rollback achieved through theRenewed Programme for Governmentin terms of the PTR and contributionof additional teachers etc.

In responding to specific questionsraised by Oireachtas Committee members,Ms Deirdre Keogh commented thatthere has been demonstrable “evidenceof curricular contraction arising from thecutbacks in education”. She contendedthat “the recent range of cuts inresources and supports to schools isunprecedented in both severity andextent”. She noted that “for decades,international research on education hasargued that schooling is a major input tosustainable growth and employmentand indeed, the European Commissionhas, for several years, underlined thecrucial role of human capital in aknowledge-based economy”. Shecommented on the correlation betweeneconomic growth and education –highlighting education as being “both acause and a result of economic prosperity,both a stimulating factor for economicgrowth and a driving force behind thefuture prosperity of our country”.

She stated that “education was vital innational and international economicrecovery requiring increased and targetedinvestment rather than a curtailment, orrationalisation of investment in educationand training services. It further requiresnew and innovative ways of how wedevelop our curricula to meet futurelabour market demands and how weprioritise and deliver our education and

training programmes across all levelsand most particularly at second levelwhen our young people are making lifechoices about the direction their careerpaths will be taking in the years followingtheir departure from second levelschooling”.

In responding to questions raised byOireachtas members, Ms Keogh statedthat “there was a need to deliver abroad-based curriculum where creativeskills, critical analysis capabilities andpersonal skil ls development arenurtured by the curriculum which needsto better mirror industry and businessneeds”. She made reference to IVEA’shaving called on the Minister at itsCongress in September 2009, toconvene a meeting of Governmentdepartments including Education andScience, SFA, union representatives,representatives of the businesscommunity and education partners “toexplore creative ways in which allbodies might collaborate to meetthe needs of the young, low-skilledunemployed” and called on themembers of the Oireachtas Committeeto petition colleagues at highestGovernment levels to move on thisinitiative. She noted that “in lookingto the end point of second level schooling,that it was particularly regrettable that65% of applications for PLC places wereunsuccessful this year”.

Finally, she referenced the importanceof “Education as an important publicservice and education and trainingresponsiveness, as a key driver toeconomic recovery” and in acknowledgingthe resourcing dilemma facingGovernment, she commented that“our national policies must commit tosafeguarding our young people andfacilitate their active engagement asadult citizens, benefiting from theminimum of a well-rounded, informed21st century second level education”.

QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES RAISEDBY OIREACHTAS MEMBERS

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18 WINTER 2009

IN June, IVEA undertook a week long study visit to Norway to lookat the totality of Norwegian vocational education – in schools, inworkplaces and in third level institutions. The visit, which wasfinanced by Leargas through the Leonardo da Vinci programmeproved very successful

The dissemination of what was learned in the course of the studyvisit was a condition of the Leargas funding for the visit and in thiscontext, Pat O’Mahony, IVEA, provided a detailed report on whatwas learned from our Norwegian host, to delegates at the IVEACongress in September last. Its principle findings are detailedas follows:

Up-skilling: Learning from our European Neighbours:The Norwegian ExperienceBy Pat O’Mahony, Education Research Officer, IVEA

At the outset, it is necessary to make a few background points inorder to set the context.

Firstly, upskilling today’s workforce is essentially about enablingindividuals, throughout their lives, to develop their aptitudes(intelligences) and interests to the maximum – on the understandingthat we are all intelligent in different ways. Indeed, to somedegree, I have a difficulty with the idea of upskilling and wonder ifwe should not be talking about competences (the capacity to applyskills and knowledge to solving real problems) than aboutupskilling or the knowledge society. What we seem to need is acompetent society rather than one loaded with knowledge andskills but missing the vital ingredient of being able to apply these.

In a historical sense, Irish second level education grew out of aChurch-run school system that had as its focus the education ofyoung people for the Church, the professions and the civil service– a system that saw intelligence in linguistic and mathematicalterms and those who lacked these talents were consideredunintelligent.

This historical influence still casts a shadow today. Indeed, theDES rules governing the operation of post primary schools are verymuch influenced by the perspective. For example, recognisedstudents at second level are required to study certain subjects;assessment is very much based on terminal examinations and soon. None of this is surprising. After all, most senior teachers,inspectors, DES officials, lecturers in teacher training programmesand even union officials are products of single-sex, old stylesecondary schools.

My first five years as a teacher were spent in vocational schoolswhere the primary emphasis was on the Group Certificate – onproviding young people (mainly young males) with practical skillsfor living and work, where relationships were relaxed, whereJohnny was as good as his master, where practical skills (multipleintelligences) were highly valued – where the Leaving Certificatehad yet to take hold.

Looking back, one can’t help but wonder if making all schools thesame was necessarily wise. Indeed, one wonders if the rootcause of much student underachievement (low skills) and

disaffection with schooling is not due to the extent to whicheducation policy, at second level, is underpinned by a view that, inpost primary education, ‘one size can fit all learners’ – that themost desirable outcome for students leaving the school system isfurther full-time study in a third level institution and that anythingelse is very much second best.

In Ireland, we seem to be hypnotised by the notion that real learningonly takes place in educational institutions. Significantly, inNorway, there is a strong recognition that people learn at work andthat work is very educational. Norwegian research shows thatadults in the workplace are more literate than school studentseven if they are not more educated than them.

So, when we headed to Norway on June 5th, I carried theseexperiences and assumptions with me. Our Norwegian experiencesimply provided me with a smorgasbord of exemplars forreforming an Irish education system that has, for far too long, beenin need of serious reconstruction.

What stood out in Norway?The most striking feature of Norway’s school system is thepreparedness to reform it radically – wherever reform isconsidered necessary to ensuring its relevance to the needs ofindividual learners and society generally.

Indeed, radical reforms in both 1994 and 2006 hugely improvedthe attractiveness of vocational education in Norway and now 54%of students take the vocational route in upper secondary. Bycontrast, Ireland has tended to tinker with the existing system andso we have ended up with an amalgam of initiatives and categoricalprogrammes resulting in considerable confusion. While there areclearly marked progression routes up through the Norwegian

IVEA Study Visit to NorwayBy Pat O’Mahony, IVEA

IVEA Study Group pictured outside the Education Department buildingin beautiful Molde, in Western Norway. Pictured amongst the delegationare: IVEA General Secretary, Michael Moriarty; Marian Carr, FurtherEducation Section, Department of Education and Science (DES); LarryKavanagh former CEO, Co. Carlow VEC; Des Murtagh AEO, Co. KildareVEC; Patricia O’Brien, Principal, Prosperous Post Primary School, Co.Kildare; Geraldine Canning AEO, Co Cork VEC; Anne O’Keeffe CEO, CoLaois VEC; Gerard Morgan Acting CEO, City of Waterford VEC; StephenMcCarthy EO, City of Dublin VEC; Martin Phillips EO, Co Wicklow VEC;Mary Ann Kane EO, Co Donegal VEC; Martin Gormley AEO, CoDonegal VEC; Colin Cummins ALO, City of Limerick VEC; FrancesStephenson ALO, Co Longford VEC and IVEA Education ResearchOfficer, Pat O’Mahony.

IVEA News and Information

19WINTER 2009

SECTION 4

education system, the routes through the Irish system are moreakin to snakes and ladders.

The Norwegian system is transparent, integrated, logical, easy tounderstand, centrally informed but locally managed so responsiveto the particular needs of local communities.

Maybe Ireland should go back to the blank canvass rather thanfeeling that it has to substantially stick with the old system. Wecertainly need to make our further education and training systemmore streamlined, integrated, coherent and easy to understand forlearners and those who advise them.

Norwegians entering Upper Secondary education have the right toone of three options – vocational, academic, and vocationalfollowed by a one year programme to facilitate access touniversity – the latter is also available to qualified apprentices.

The Norwegian vocational stream comprises nine different programmes(Technical skills and industrial production, Electrical and electronicsubjects, Building and construction technology, Restaurant tradesand nutritional subjects, Health and social subjects, Design andcraft subjects, Media and communication, Service and travel, andAgriculture, fishing and forestry) and there is a national curriculumfor each programme, thus ensuring a common standard of pro-vision.

Indeed, Norway has an integrated national curriculum fromprimary school through to upper secondary, thus ensuring thecontinuity and coherence of the whole curriculum.

Each vocational programme is aimed at preparing participants fora particular subset of apprenticeships, a matter that we will returnto later.

Irrespective of the vocational programme, the teaching andthe learning is practical and hands-on, with students invariablylearning through both doing and reflection. Consequently, studentsengage with both their teachers and the subject matter as amatter of course.

Student assessment in Norway also has a practical basis withstudents being required to demonstrate their skills andcompetences rather than to regurgitate information. Oral examsare available in all subjects and continuous assessment is centralto the work of schools – this is a huge advantage over theterminal exam approach which holds such sway in Ireland.

The Norwegian approach is in stark contrast to ours where manyLeaving Certificate syllabi are so wide and so deep that manystudents experience little real engagement with either the subjectmatter or the teacher.

We know that young males, in particular, find it difficult to achieveeducationally in what may be termed ‘academic’ subjects yetthey thrive in practical situations. They seem to have an innatecapacity for hands-on learning but fail to engage in more abstractlearning contexts. We wonder about what to do about improvingretention rates and skills? Is the answer not obvious?

Norwegian schools have great flexibility in meeting student needs.Those who fail to thrive in school may undertake the work-basedpart of their apprenticeship first and the school-based part second,when they are more mature.

Unlike Norway, Ireland does not have a vocational educationstream at school level. Irish students and their influencers place apreponderant value on the established Leaving Certificate and,for many, anything else, including the LCA, is very much a lessattractive option.

Maybe Ireland could learn from Norway and provide thoseentering senior cycle with the option of either a two year educationprogramme providing access to third level or a two year vocationalprogramme proceeding towards apprenticeship and work.

However, any vocational alternative would have to attract asignificant proportion of the cohort, be integral to the NFQ, andallow those who opt for it to re-enter the ‘academic stream’ withouthaving to go back to the beginning of the queue, as is the casewith LCA graduates currently - though all three LeavingCertificates are placed at levels 4/5 on the (NFQ).

Were Ireland to put a proper vocational option in place at SeniorCycle, there is good reason to believe that up to 50% of studentscould opt for it.

A major difference between Norway and Ireland is Norway’scomprehensive apprenticeship system. There is hardly an area ofwork not covered by apprenticeship – hospitality, health care,clerical and administration, agriculture, engineering, childcare,education, construction, and so on.

The Norwegian apprenticeship system bestows a status and aquality standard on work that, in Ireland, may be consideredsemiskilled. Such work then acquires an attractiveness that itlacks in Ireland. The Norwegian system acknowledges and,celebrates the notion of multiple intelligences while, in Ireland,the primacy of linguistic and mathematical intelligence holdssway. It also ensures that skills and competences are workplacerelevant.

The way the Norwegians manage apprenticeship provedparticularly interesting.

The County, and there are 19 of them, manages both uppersecondary education and apprenticeship – so schooling andapprenticeship are linked. Also, apprentices are mainly trained inthe workplace by trained instructors/mentors – trained by theCounty.

Where employers can’t meet all training outcomes or an enterpriseis too small to employ instructors/mentors, the County makes upthe deficit.

Norwegian adults can obtain trade qualifications on the basis oftheir work experiences. Firstly, their prior learning is assessed.Then they have free access to programmes to make up skilldeficits. Finally, they are assessed before obtaining theirqualifications.

The apprenticeship system is highly regarded by both the publicand the private sector in Norway and both actively recruitapprentices in the vocational schools.

Generally, employers and unions are positively involved inNorwegian education. There is no ‘them and us’ attitude. Therelationship between schools and the workplace is complementaryand symbiotic.

20 WINTER 2009

Industry-Provider forums are a feature of Norwegian uppersecondary vocational education and these ensure connectivitybetween the content of vocational education programmes and theskills needs of local companies – in the context of nationallydetermined curricula.

Might FAS, IVEA and the two parent departments explore how theIrish school and apprenticeship systems could be pulled moreclosely together? Vocational education and apprenticeship arecomplementary. Furthermore, the apprenticeship system wouldseem to have the capacity to inform beneficially the school systemand vice versa.

In a sense, Norwegian apprenticeships do what the PLCprogramme does in Ireland other than that the apprenticeshipsystem covers a much wider range of career preparations.

Is there a case to be made for Ireland adopting the Norwegianapprenticeship model? At the very least, it would seem that Irelandneeds to look seriously at best practice in skills development inNorthern Europe - particularly in Norway.

Would adopting the Norwegian system have implications for thePLC sector? Certainly, but not, it would seem, in any overallnegative sense. If Irish apprenticeships were extended to cover therange of apprenticeships available in Norway, it might be possiblefor VECs to cater to a multiple of the number of PLC students theycurrently cater to – with each apprentice spending some two daysin school each week and three days in the workplace.

It seems patently obvious that Ireland needs to put in place a morestructured, transparent and genuinely quality-assured approachto skills (or is it more appropriate to use the term competency)development – an approach that links seamlessly, at either end, tothe whole of our education system.

Furthermore, it would seem that a dedicated vocational educationstream at senior cycle level and a much more extensiveapprenticeship system could well have a role to play in reformingIrish education and training, at a macro level, in the interests ofboth individual students and the wider society.

What other examples of best practice were observed in Norway.Quite frankly, best practice abounded around every corner withthe following being most relevant to the whole area of skills devel-opment.

● Education provision in Norway is rights based. Over 25s have alegal entitlement to avail of any unused portion of their 13 yearentitlement to free education and training. Adults with low basicskills are entitled to a skills’ assessment and to have all their priorlearning recognised for access, transfer and progression.

● There is an Ombudsman for upper secondary education andapprentices – this links with the rights based nature ofNorwegian education.

● Interestingly, the school motto for our host school, RomsdalUpper Secondary vocational School is: ‘Together we areshaping the future’, which very much sets out the schoolmission. So much for the Latin mottos that one tends to find inIreland – mottos that very few understand.

● Technical support staff are available to support the work ofteachers in the upper secondary vocational school system – 5such personnel were available in the upper Secondary Schoolthat we visited.

● Norway has two education ministers – one for primary andsecondary education and one for third level. This means thatprimary and secondary education are not dictated to by thethird level system.

● Norwegian schools identify very much with their localcommunity – this is particularly important when it comes tovocational education where schools set out very deliberately tomeet the needs of their local communities.

● The importance of generic skills is very much acknowledged –with these skills being integrated into every syllabus andteachers of all subjects being responsible for teaching thesecore skills.

● There is a huge emphasis on enhancing teachers’ competenceat all levels of the Norwegian system.

● Teachers in vocational education in Upper Secondary schoolshave the option of upskilling by working in business environmentsfor a period and those working in business do some teaching inthe upper secondary – making education more work-placerelevant.

● Norway has a clear process for Recognising Prior learning.

● There is a clear route for adults to gain trade qualificationsthrough the apprenticeship system – 25% of apprentices areadult.

● Practical examinations are monitored by teachers fromneighbouring schools and this seems to work very well.

● Free 1 year courses available from University Colleges (institutionsthat are very like our institutes of technology) provide a directroute to university for those with craft/trade qualifications.

● University colleges offer two year p/t teacher training courses tovocational teachers who lack a pedagogical qualification. Suchteachers have a number of years within which they must acquirea teaching qualification in order to retain their teaching posts.

● Norway has many, relatively small university colleges at locallevel responding to the local needs` of industry, etc. TheUniversity College in Molde was very impressive; its librarysystem is linked into the local school library system – anotherexample of integration.

● The Norwegian system operates to ensure that the duplicationof courses is minimised. While programmes and courses arenot the property of particular institutions, nevertheless thesystem works to ensure that a course with a relatively limiteddrawing power is only offered by one school in a particularcounty/community.

● There is a big emphasis on decentralised education even up touniversity level – to local communities.

● There is good use of blended learning in teacher education.Consequently, Norwegian teachers are more attuned to whatblended learning approaches can offer their students.

● There is an emphasis on social integration in kindergartenrather than on individuals just playing with toys. This seems toimprove the communications and cooperation skills of youngpeople from an early age, something that is deemed to becritical to all citizens – in the family, in the community and in theworkplace.

Overall, the whole study visit experience proved to be a wonderfulsuccess and hopefully, it will result in ongoing conversationsbetween the vocational education sectors in Norway and Irelandfor many years to come.

IVEA News and Information

21WINTER 2009

IVEA’s website has undergone a facelift thanks to theefforts of Paul Mahon, Deirdre Keogh and others. We havemade an effort to significantly improve the IVEA website’scontent and therefore it’s value as an important resourcefor the entire VEC sector. More dynamic content such asdrop-down menus and a news banner have also beenadded to improve usability and provide up-to-dateinformation on key issues through fora established undervarious menus on the website.

Amongst the new features on www.ivea.ie are:

● A secure Bulletin Board replaces the Restricted Area forCEOs and EOs

● A detailed VEC services section has been introduced

● An improved Events section with a photo slideshowshas been added

● The HR/IR policies section has been revamped.

● A News section with customised sorting has beenintroduced

● And a Google Search facility is also provided.

Secure logins are currently being advised.

Comments or suggestions can be mailed to ourwebmaster: paul.mahon@ivea.ie

SECTION 4

Launch of new IVEAwebsite – www.ivea.ie

By Paul Mahon, IVEA

Superannuation Task Group– An UpdateBy Nessa Doyle, IVEA

IN May 2009, IVEA established a task group on superannuationto support individual VECs and to ensure a consistent approachto pension calculations. The group’s convenor and chairpersonis Mr Jack Lynch Education Officer, Co. Sligo VEC and itsmembership includes Mr Daryl Heavey, Department ofEducation and Science and experienced personnel dealing withpensions from VECs including Ms Breda Conroy (Co. WexfordVEC), Ms Betty Corkey (Kerry Education Service), Ms MarianneBrown (Co. Dublin VEC), Ms Mary Browne (Co. Wicklow VEC),Ms Siubhán Gillespie (Co. Donegal VEC) and Ms TinaMcCarthy (City of Dublin VEC) and IVEA’s Nessa Doyle whoacts as Secretary to the group.

Three meetings have taken place since May 2009 with anaverage of five cases being reviewed at each meeting.Recommendations, calculations and minutes are forwarded toall VECs for information, shared learning and consistency inapproach.

IVEA has also explored the delivery of superannuation trainingto VECs at three different locations. Proposed training sessionswill provide VECs with the opportunity to train individuals on thebasic elements of superannuation at a minimal cost to VECs.This training, likely to commence in January next, will be deliveredby Mr Jack Lynch and co-ordinated by Nessa Doyle in IVEA.Details will be advised to VECs as matters progress.

This unique picture reflects the evolution of Co. Carlow VECover the decades.

Pictured are the three retired Chief Executive Officers and therecently appointed CEO, Ms Cynthia Deane, who togetherreflect decades of service to education in Co. Carlow.

In Carlow the storygoes on!

Pictured (left to right) are Mr Larry Kavanagh Retired CEO, Ms CynthiaDeane CEO, Mr Austin Waldron Retired CEO and Mr John O’KeeffeRetired CEO

22 WINTER 2009

IVEA News and Information

SINCE its inception, the EU has been hugely committed to thedevelopment of education and to the principle that education willplay a large part in Europe’s – and therefore in Ireland’s – futureeconomic success. For IVEA, expanding links with policymakers and education providers across Europe is a natural andprogressive development.

Education in Europe is a large and strategically importantsector. Across the European Union (EU), education employsaround 14 million people, about 7% of the total workforce inEurope. Realising the need for dialogue with other educationproviders and employers and also with European policy makersand legislators, IVEA has recently embarked on two initiativesto raise its profile on the European stage – namely EUproVETand EFEE.

EUproVET

In April 2008, IVEA commenced negotiations with national bodiesrepresenting vocational education providers in other EUcountries, with a view to establishing a new Europe-widerepresentational and lobbying body for vocational education andtraining (VET). The organisation EUproVET was officiallylaunched in September 2008 and a Deed of Incorporation wassigned in April 2009 in Amsterdam. IVEA is one of five foundermembers of EUproVET, the others representing theNetherlands, Finland, the UK and Spain. EUproVET’s primaryrole will be as a policy advocacy group which will seek to influenceEU draft policy, conduct dialogue with the European

Commission, advance trans-national co-operation betweenmembers and promote, inter alia, vocational education andtraining as major force to sustain economic growth. IVEA isrepresented on EUproVET by Michael Moriarty, Pat O’Mahonyand Deirdre Keogh.

EFEE

IVEA is also a key member of the European Federation ofEducation Employers (EFEE), established to represent the interestsof education employers at European level. To date, membershipincludes organisations from eighteen countries, representing around70% of the EU’s population, who all employ the overwhelmingmajority of teaching personnel in their respective countries. EFEEis now working closely with the European trade union federationfor teachers, ETUCE.

EFEE has recently joined the European Centre of Employers andEnterprises providing Public Services (CEEP), which bringstogether enterprises and organisations from across Europe,public and private, at national, regional and local level, who arepublic employers or providers of services. In practical terms,membership of CEEP will give EFEE, and thus IVEA, access toearly information about cross-sectoral issues, such as the currentand recent discussions on the Working-Time directive, parentalleave etc. As a member of EFEE, IVEA will be at the forefront ofdevelopments, influencing and receiving information on policy andpivotal matters at a European level. IVEA is represented on EFEE byMichael Moriarty and Deirdre Keogh both of whom haveaddressed delegations in Europe on behalf of EducationEmployers in the VEC sector in Europe and Ireland.

A meeting, hosted by IVEA, of theEUproVET Council took place in Dublin inearly September. Founding memberorganisations from the Netherlands, Finland,Denmark and the UK sent representatives tothe one-day meeting. The agenda focussedon strategies for developing relationshipswith national authorities and agencies, withVET providers in other European countriesand with representatives of the EuropeanUnion. Minister of State with responsibilityfor Lifelong Learning, Mr Sean Haughey T.D.addressed the gathering and spoke verypositively and encouragingly in support ofthe EUproVET initiative.

IVEA extends it sincere appreciation to MsLee Hogan-Kerrigan who co-ordinated thehost visit in September.

IVEA says YES to Europe too!By Lee Hogan-Kerrigan, IVEA

IVEA proudly hosts the EUproVET Meeting in Dublin

Delegates at the Dublin meeting of the EUproVET Council with Minister for State withresponsibility for Lifelong Learning, Mr Sean Haughey T.D.

23WINTER 2009

SECTION 5

THE Department of Education and Science (DES) through all oftheir Further Education Programmes aim to enhance theemployability of their participants. The Back to EducationInitiative (BTEI) is one of these programmes, offering accreditedcourses on a part-time basis only.

The BTEI (part-time) was established by the Department in2002. At the time, it allowed for a major expansion of second-chance education and part-time learning options in Ireland. Itwas designed to complement existing full-time, further andadult education programmes1 and build the capacity of thissector to meet the changing needs of individuals, communitiesand society. Programmes under the Initiative are also offered bylocal community groups (45 groups are funded for 2009) and asmall number of non-VEC post-primary schools through theCommunity Strand of BTEI.

The overall aim of BTEI is to increase the participation ofyoung people and adults with less than upper second leveleducation in a range of flexible learning opportunities.Therefore, one of the main high priorities is to target individualsand groups that experience particular and acute barriers andthus are more difficult to engage in the formal learning process,for example people with a disability, Travellers, homeless peopleand lone parents. BTEI has opened up education opportunitiesto a broad range of new learners, many of whom had beenpreviously excluded from the education system.

BTEI offers part-time provision of up to 400 hours per year,leading to certification through the National QualificationsFramework2, at Levels 1-6. The aim is to facilitate adults’access, transfer and progression to other education or employ-ment pathways through promoting the formal recognition of par-ticipant’s achievements.

A significant feature and incentive of the BTEI is that free tuitionis provided to any adult with less than upper second leveleducation. Those eligible for free tuition now include people witha social welfare entitlement or medical card, unwaged peopleand those in employment. The key priority is to remove barriersto access by adults who do not have the Leaving Certificate orits equivalent, and so increase participation by this group inFurther Education without incurring tuition costs.

Data submitted to the Department demonstrate that a total of27,104 people participated in 2008 of which 76% were womenand 24% were men. 37% (10,045) of participants achievedcertification while 27% (7,238) of participants progressed toemployment or further education/training. In addition, a further9,643 were reported as continuing coursers from 2008 into 2009,reflecting the part-time flexible nature of BTEI.

Investment in education and training yields social and economicdividends. It is well accepted that ‘labour productivity will be thekey determinant of economic growth in Ireland and increasingproductivity will depend to a large extent on education and

training. A workforce that is better educated and trained, canproduce higher value goods and services and is more likely toinnovate’ (EFGSN Tomorrow’s Skills).

BTEI has the capacity to become one of the key players inensuring future prosperity and growth evidenced by itsfollowing facets:

● Part-time provisionOffered through daytime, evenings, weekends – Junior andLeaving Certificate provision is provided over one or twoyears with participants attending from between two to tenclasses per week. BTEI in City of Limerick VEC forexample offers Leaving Certificate options over one year inthe evening time to accommodate those in the workforcewith less than second level education.

● Diverse range of accredited provision at Levels 1-6From core skills to job-related skills all offered throughrecognised certification channels (i.e. Junior Certificate,Leaving Certificate and FETAC accredited courses). BTEIin Co. Clare VEC for example, offered a certified shellfishfarming course in a rural East Clare location, provided anaccredited IT course for farmers, while still offeringChildcare awards in urban locations and providing LeavingCertificate options during the day and evening.

● Ability to deliver in any setting/locationBTEI can and is delivered in outreach settings –not just in VEC buildings. For example, BTEI inDonegal VEC works in outreach locations on acontinual basis due to the sheer size of the county, anotable example of successful outreaching was when BTEIoutreached to Tory Island offering a Level 5 MediaProduction Course to eight participants living on theisland, who through transport accessibility barriers wouldotherwise not have been able to complete the course onthe ‘mainland’.

● Courses offered on modular or full award basisThe emphasis on BTEI is on accreditation that is useful forfurther study or work, in some cases full awards areoffered, while modules that are of relevance/value to theworkplace are also offered on a standalone basis. Level 5Care of the Older Person programme is offered underBTEI. All carers working with older people must have thisqualification therefore the provision of this through BTEIallows direct access to the workforce

● Courses are tailored to individual or a particulartarget group’s needsWhile the same subject may be offered in many locations,each time it is delivered through the BTEI, the needs of theparticular group are taken into account and the tutor tailorsthe subject to their requirements. BTEI in City of LimerickVEC for example, have worked in partnership with FAS ona Level 4 Construction Skills Course. BTEI tutors workedalongside FAS Instructors to integrate the core skills ofcommunications and numeracy with the technical skills of

The Back to Education Initiative (BTEI)By Claire Doherty, Chairperson, BTEIA

24 WINTER 2009

Initiatives

construction e.g. pipe laying, paving, laying blocks,scaffolding, cement mixing etc.

● Ability to respond rapidlyDue to the part-time, flexible nature of BTEI and theextension of the eligibility criteria to offer all those with lessthan second level education free tuition, BTEI has thecapacity to set up relevant courses in a relatively short timespan and thus can respond to needs on the ground at anygiven time. Co. Sligo VEC’s BTEI for example hasdeveloped a learning programme to respond to the recentincrease in unemployment. The programme offers a fullLevel 4 award in General Education. The aim of devisingthe programme, which allows participants to specialise inone of threw different areas, IT, creative or Health/Community is to allow the newly unemployed with lessthan second level education an entry point into educationthat will raise their general education standard/level.

● Partnership workingAs BTEI is part-time and was established to complementexisting provision and has a limited budget, one of its keycomponents is working in partnership with various

agencies and/or other education providers to enhance thevalue of its provision. Thus BTEI works with DSFA, FAS,Local communities, other adult education programmes,local Childcare Committees etc. BTEI in Co. Cork VEC forexample, worked in partnership with FAS, LocalDevelopment Groups, HSE, National Learning Network,Irish Wheelchair Association and Rapid to develop aCommunity Organic Horticulture Course at Level 3. Thedevelopment of the course in partnership with other bodiesallowed the BTEI in this area to meet one of its keyobjectives – to increase male participation. All participantsachieved certification at Level 3 and are progressing on tofurther education or work. The course is now continuing forfurther cohorts.

In our current economic climate, continued investment in theBTEI ensures that about 27,000 learners access part-time,accredited adult education each year, allowing them to enhanceboth their education levels and their job readiness. BTEI is com-mitted to upskilling its main cohort – i.e. those with less than sec-ond level education, to ensure they can contribute actively toIreland’s future economic growth.

Educational Leadership: Unlocking ourcapacity to respond

Submitted by Co. Tipperary N.R. VEC

IN times of difficulty when people are looking for direction fromothers, it is often more appropriate to look within. This was theapproach taken by Co. North Tipperary VEC when it developed,in association with Tipperary Institute, the EducationalLeadership and Management Programme.

North Tipperary VEC believes that the potential for leadershipamong staff in its schools and centres of education is enormous– this potential can be unlocked so that all staff within theorganisation can validate their capacity to lead educationalinnovation in whatever context they practice.

Through North Tipperary VEC’s professional developmentprogramme – Ar Aghaidh Linn – an educational leadershipprogramme was developed with Tipperary Institute (TI) whichwill run from September to November 2009.

The aim of the programme is to provide for the development ofnew understandings related to educational leadership, values,and reflection. These three theoretical strands will be critiquedand enhanced through contributions from a range of professionaleducational practitioners. Many of the contributions will comefrom staff holding leadership positions in North Tipperary VEC.

By the end of the programme, participants will understand theimpact of values in educational leadership and how reflectionin and on practice is fundamental to effective leadership ineducation.

At the planning stage it was envisaged that the number ofapplications would be around twenty, however by the

beginning of the programme, on September 21st, there wereforty-two applications.

The programme is organised in association with TipperaryInstitute which will be providing certification at the end of theprogramme. Tipperary Institute intends that this programmewill provide a number of credits for a Masters in Educationprogramme which is now being planned by the Institute.

North Tipperary VEC hopes that improving leadershipcompetency among its staff will enable an increasinglyresponsive educational organisation and will hopefully mitigatesome of the enormous challenges currently facing itseducational services.

Staff members Sinead Tuohy and Josephine Cahill with MartinFitzgerald of TI and Dr Noel Colleran, programme organisers

25WINTER 2009

MINISTER for Education and Science Mr Batt O’ Keeffe, T.D.launched the recent IPB publication of “VEC Risk – excellencein governance through best practice risk management” in theMerrion Hotel on 5th November 2009 to an invited audienceof Chief Executives, Education Officers and representativebodies.

Mr Alan Connolly, General Manager, IPB, described VEC Riskas a “model of best practice for managing risks that couldprevent the achievement of the Education Plan”. He said that“in the past, the focus had been on managing the tangible riskssuch as financial and health and safety risks but he said that inthe last decade, the focus was on the management of allbusiness risks such as legislative, competitive and social risksthat could prevent the achievement of the Education Plan”. Hesaid VEC Risk will “support a VEC’s demonstration of goodgovernance through best practice risk management”.

Mr Sean Ashe CEO and President of the Association of ChiefExecutive and Education Officers addressed the invited audience.He said the publication of VEC Risk was “timely; that it wouldassist CEOs to make evidence based decisions on theprioritisation of scarce resources to manage the key risks thatcould threaten the success of the Education Plan and this wasparticularly important in the current economic and financialclimate”. Continuing, he congratulated those involved in thepublication of VEC Risk stating “its publication (by IPB)represented another example of the working partnership thatexists between our insurer and the VECs ... where there isrecognition of the everyday challenges that exist in educationwhich require to be managed, we need to comprehend thatthe management of risk is effective management and theoutcomes that can be achieved through the implementation ofrisk management in all VECs will be measurable over thecoming years”.

Minister Batt O’ Keeffe in launching VEC Risk, acknowledged thelong and honourable tradition of VECs in providing high qualityeducation, particularly for the most disadvantaged in our society.He said “the VEC system had always been responsive andinnovative, and was always willing to accept the challenge ofpushing out boundaries by developing new models of delivery”.

In complementing IPB on the publication, Minister O’Keeffesaid “the VECs’ insurer had a long tradition as a provider ofinsurance to public bodies and it was no surprise therefore thatIPB and the three pilot VECs – Co Donegal; Co Meath and Cityof Dublin - came together in order to develop the model formanaging risk”. The Minister continued that “risk managementis not a new concept, but that the events in the recent historyof our country highlighted the importance of having a formalprocess in place to proactively identify and manage risk so that

the VEC could minimise financial losses and unnecessarydisruption to services, while improving overall strategic,operational and financial management”.

Minister O’Keeffe said he was “pleased to see that the methodologyemployed will provide VECs with a step by step approach foridentifying, assessing and managing risk which will enableeach VEC to create it’s own risk register…(the latter) being animportant source of information for staff in the VEC, AuditCommittees and the Comptroller and Audit General”

The Minister warmly welcomed the approach that IPB hascommitted to delivering seminars, workshops and site visits tosupport the introduction and embedding of a culture of managingrisk at no cost to the VECs. He said that “he wanted to see themodel rolled out not just to VECs but to all schools at primaryand secondary level throughout the country because riskmanagement is just good management”.

In summing up, the Minister said he looked forward to hearingof progress and success over the next twelve months with theimplementation of VEC Risk.

The CEOs will nominate a member of management to co-ordinate the management of risk in each VEC. IPB willcommence the rollout during November/December by deliveringawareness sessions and these will be followed in early 2010with the delivery of seminars and workshops on identifying,assessing and managing risk.

If you would like to know more about VEC Risk – excellencein governance through best practice risk managementemail: riskmanagement@ipb.ie

SECTION 5

Irish Public Bodies (IPB) launch‘VEC Risk – excellence in governance

through best practice risk management’By Rosemary Ryan, Irish Public Bodies Mutual Insurances Limited

Pictured at the launch of VEC Risk – excellence in governance throughbest practice risk management are Sean Ashe CEO, Minister forEducation and Science Batt O’Keeffe T.D. and Alan Connolly, GeneralManager, IPB

26 WINTER 2009

Initiatives

COMMUNITY Education Facilitators are operating across the 33VECs since 2002, arising from a recommendation in the WhitePaper on Adult Education – Learning for Life (2000). CommunityEducation is a strand of Adult Education whose role it is to workwith and support, community groups wishing to engage inadult learning programmes. Community Education engages andfacilitates a wide range of community groups i.e. women’sgroups, men’s groups, disability groups, people parenting alone,parents’ associations etc. in attempt to define and meet theirlearning needs.

Subject areas offered are in accordance with the learner needsbut may include for example: Art & Crafts, Computers, PersonalDevelopment, Parenting, Committee Skills, Hearing Help andIndependent Living Skills. Community Education is truly a service,which is for the people, of the people and by the people. The keyto the success of the service is that it is delivered, by and large,in the local communities both urban and rural. The primary roleof the Community Education Facilitator is to assist in theplanning, development and management of the local CommunityEducation service.

The benefit of Community Education is that it tends to work at anumber of levels with the participants, as individuals and collectivelyas a group. At individual level, participants gain knowledge, skillsand options for progression and at a collective level, it builds thecapacity of local communities to critically analyse the society inwhich they live and mobilise groups to take action to change it.This reinforces the White Paper commentary, aligningCommunity Education to a process of communal educationtowards empowerment, both individually and collectively.

In addressing the duet of goals, Community EducationFacilitators (CEFs) work very much in partnership with the AdultEducation section of their local VEC and also their colleagues inother agencies such as Family Resource Centres, Community

Development Projects, Partnership Companies, HSE, DSFA andmany more.

A more recent example of the Community Education Servicespartnership approach is reflected in submissions made to theDepartment of Justice, Equality and Law Reform by a number ofCEFs for funding under the Equality for Women Measure in July2008. These projects aim to respond to the criteria set downby the Department stating that “one of the greatest needs formarginalised women who are currently outside of the labourmarket is the availability of formalised self development andconfidence building opportunities”.

Some Community Education Services were successful in securingthis funding in 2009 and designed responses to meet the needs oftheir county’s learners. The responses include FETAC accreditedprogrammes at Levels 3 to 5, offering full awards and componentcertificates to meet the individual learners’ needs. Progressionoptions can then be negotiated with other programmes.

Community Education Facilitators are able to refer individuals tothe many other services within the Adult Education Sector ofeach VEC. They work closely with their colleagues in AdultGuidance, BTEI, VTOS and Adult Literacy.

Currently AONTAS is conducting research into the long-termbenefits of Community Education for Irish learners. It aims todetermine the individual, collective and societal outcomes ofCommunity Education. CEFA are part of the advisory group ofthis research, which will be completed and published in 2010.

If you would like further information on Community Educationand the work that Community Education Facilitators do withinour VECs please check out the website of Community EducationFacilitators Association www.cefa.ie or contact your local VEC.A full listing of local VEC websites is also available on www.ivea.ie

Community Education – Facilitating Partnershipson behalf of Learners

By Martha Bolger on behalf of the Community Employment Facilitators’ Association (CEFA)

Hands OnCommunityEducation –Boat Buildingat Scarriff,Co. Clare

27WINTER 2009

SECTION 6

Mr Paudie GearyPaudie Geary has announced hisretirement as CEO of City of WaterfordVEC.

Paudie was born in Mitchellstown andcomes from a large and successful family.His career began in Kilmacthomas,under the remit of Co. Waterford VEC,where he taught English and History.Paudie then trained as a CareerGuidance Counsellor alongside thecurrent Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey T.D.

When this training was completed, Paudie took a position as aTeacher/Guidance counsellor in Coláiste Chathail Naofa, beforebecoming principal in CTI where he stayed for a number ofyears.

The year 2002 was an important one for Paudie as he wascalled upon to become acting CEO of City of Waterford VECreplacing the retiring CEO, Kieran Lyons. Paudie was subsequentlyconfirmed as CEO in 2003 and has been a keen supporter ofIVEA and an avid promoter of Adult and Further Educationinitiatives, hosting the national IVEA conference on AdultEducation in 2006.

Paudie, throughout his career, has demonstrated an emphasisat all times, and a particular concern and interest for improvingthe educational opportunities for those less advantaged in society.

Mr Diarmuid O’NeillMr Diarmuid O’Neill started began hiscareer with Co. Laois VEC in Portlaoisein 1969 and remained there until 1972.He then worked in Dublin until 1980before becoming Vice- Principal of StJohn's Vocational School, Portarlington in1980. Diarmuid served as Principal ofTullamore Vocational School where,through his leadership, Diarmuid oversawthe development of the College over aperiod of some thirteen years.

As CEO, Diarmuid has been central to the development ofservices with Co. Offaly VEC not least of these being specificinterests and developments in adult education, literacy schemesand outreach activities aimed at embracing both rural and urbancommunities irrespective of age or socio-economic standing.

Diarmuid served as Secretary to the CEEOA for some threeyears and was also actively involved in IVEA on a wide range ofmatters serving as a key negotiator in such issues as outdooreducation and student support schemes. Diarmuid pioneeredinduction training for newly appointed Principals and DeputyPrincipals and contributed immensely to the development andprinciples of vocational education both within Offaly VEC and inthe national education arena.

Mr Gearóid Ó BrádaighMr Gearóid Ó Brádaigh began histeaching career as a part-time teacher inConnolly Vocational School in NorthStrand in 1978. He is particularly proudof having returned to teach in the sameschool where he had completed hisLeaving Certificate prior to taking adegree in Trinity College, Dublin. Havingspent some time in Mount StreetVocational School, then Bord na Gaeilge(now Foras na Gaeilge) and BallyfermotSenior College, Mr Ó Brádaigh moved to Co. Meath in the mid-1980s as the first Principal of the newly-established ColáistePobail, in the County Meath Gaeltacht of Rathcairn. Hesubsequently moved on to Co. Dublin VEC as Principal of StKevin’s Community College on the Fonthill Road, Clondalkinand it was from here that he was appointed in 1996, as the ChiefExecutive Officer of Westmeath VEC.

During his tenure in office in Co. Westmeath, Gearóid oversawsubstantial growth and development in the scheme and beenresponsible for the opening of several new centres and theinstallation of the Committee’s headquarters and new offices inMarlinstown, Mullingar.

Gearóid has been a longstanding member of the IVEA/Sectoral Unions Consultative Forum and has been very activelyinvolved in devising, negotiating and agreeing a whole rangeof new HR/IR procedures, particularly those that relate togrievance and discipline and allegations of bullying andharassment and sexual harassment in VEC workplaces. Hewas responsible for initiating High Court proceedings againstthe Department of Education and Science which led to alandmark decision in favour of Westmeath VEC in thesummer of 2009.

Gearóid intends to pursue his interest in the areas of ConflictResolution and Human Resource Management. In addition topursuing further studies, he also intends to spend plenty of time“on, in and around boats”. Gearoid bids bon voyage on 30November 2009.

The Vocational Education Sector is losing to retirement anumber of key educationalists that have contributed somuch both locally and nationally to the development ofvocational education in Ireland in recent decades. Thoseretiring include: Mr Paudie Geary, Ms Deirdre Frawley,

Mr Gearoid O’Bradaigh, Mr Pat O’Connor, Mr LarryO’Farrelly, Mr Diarmuid O’Neill and Mr Seán Ó Longáin.IVEA extends its every good wish to each of them andthanks each retiring CEO for their contribution to thevocational and education sectors and to IVEA.

28 WINTER 2009

CEOs retiring from VECs

Ms Deirdre FrawleyMs Deirdre Frawley has announcedher intention to retire from her post asCEO of City of Limerick VEC at theend of December. Deirdre served all ofher 40 years working life in the VECsector. Appointed initially as a post-primary teacher by Co. Laois VEC in1969, where she served for elevenyears in Portlaoise Vocational School,it was at this time that Deirdrecommenced her involvement in AdultEducation, training adult literacy tutors and teaching on theUCD Extra Mural Programme.

In 1980, Deirdre took up the newly created post of AdultEducation Officer with City of Limerick VEC. Her 18 years inthat role coincided with a significant development period inadult & further education in the VEC sector. Deirdre wasresponsible for developing an Adult & Community EducationService in Limerick City which became known for itsinnovative programmes and partnership ways of working. Shepiloted (among others) most of the adult & further educationprogrammes which went on to be mainstreamed e.g. VTOS(EOS), Youthreach, Community Based Learning. During thistime she was a member of the Commission on AdultEducation (1982-1984) and was nominated by theDepartment of Education of Science to represent Ireland onthe Council of Europe Project “Adult Education & SocialChange (1988 – 1993)”. In 1993, the International Council forAdult Education gave Deirdre the “J Roby Kidd Special Award- recognising a significant and innovative contribution to adulteducation”. Deirdre served two terms on the Combat PovertyAgency Board (1989-1992 and 1993-1996) where she had anopportunity to contribute to discussions and policy formationon the role of education at different levels in addressingpoverty.

In 1998, Deirdre was appointed as CEO of City of LimerickVEC – the first female CEO appointed to a VEC. In the lasteleven years she has shaped that VEC into a modern effectiveorganisation which provides excellent educational servicesand which is recognised as a key player in local developmentwork in Limerick City.

She has overseen a number of CLVEC Building Projectswhich include a new 750 pupil School Building for St Nessan’sCommunity College; re-roofing and refurbishment of LimerickCollege of Further Education; rebuilding Athenaeum Building(VEC Head Office), and extensive refurbishment of theMunicipal Technical Institute, now the headquarters of theAdult Education Service. Following extensive local consultation,she successfully established Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, now inits fourth year of operation with 230 pupils and providing asignificant addition to second level education in Limerick.

Deirdre has carved out a lead role for CLVEC in designing and

shaping the educational contribution to addressing socialinclusion as part of the Limerick Regeneration Programme.As a member of the Limerick City Development Board she ledthe Limerick City of Learning Steering Group which producedan educational strategy framework for the City entitled ACollaborative Framework for Progress in order to guidecollaborative working between all educational sectors andother sectors with an interest and involvement in learning. Theprinciples and priorities of this Framework have been includedin the Limerick City Regeneration Master Plan.

As the work of CLVEC has expanded and become morediverse in the last decade, Deirdre has focussed onorganisational development to ensure that structures andother supports were put in place to enable the delivery ofintegrated educational programmes and services. Shecontinually promoted and supported ongoing learning by allstaff as key to building the capability of the VEC. Deirdrebrought that valuable experience to the IVEA in contributing toa major policy response on behalf of the sector to WhitePaper on Adult Education – Learning for Life.

In the last decade the number of learners on CLVECprogrammes has doubled (10,680 October 2009) and as aresult of its innovative work and support for partnership workingCLVEC is a key player in all Limerick City learning partnershipsand development partnerships. The CLVEC policy and strategydocuments have made a significant contribution to the VECSector library.

Deirdre Frawley has contributed to the work of the IVEA andCEEOA by participating on various Working Groups, e.g.Adult & Further Education, in particular Adult Basic Education,Curriculum Development, Workplace Learning, NCVA/FETACetc. She has also represented the VEC Sector on externalbodies e.g. NCCA.

Mr Pat O’ConnorMr Pat O’Connor has served as ChiefExecutive Officer of County DublinVEC for twelve years from 1997 to2009. Prior to his appointment asCEO of Co. Dublin VEC, Pat hadworked for two years as EducationOfficer with the County and previouslyserved for twenty three years inGreenhills College, fourteen years ofthese as Principal and DeputyPrincipal.

Pat has presided over significant changes in County DublinVEC including the setting up from greenfield situations ofeight new post-primary schools, the transfer of a voluntarysecondary school to a Community College as well as theestablishment of the country’s first two new CommunityNational Schools. He has also been responsible for a rapid

29WINTER 2009

expansion of Further and Adult Education and Youth Servicesin County Dublin. Under Pat’s guidance and initiative theadministration of County Dublin VEC has been completelyreorganised through the establishment of empowered andaccountable management structures and through theinstallation of advanced ICT systems. In tandem with thesedevelopments he negotiated the relocation of the VEC’sadministrative head office to a modern state of the art facilityat Tuansgate, The Square, Tallaght.

At a national level, Pat was involved in the negotiations whichbrought about the transfer of Traveller Training Centers intothe VEC system. He played a leading role in negotiations onimplementing the Rochford Review on VEC administrativestaffing levels and also represented the IVEA as advisor on therecently agreed Redeployment Scheme for Post PrimaryTeachers. He has been a member of the National Executiveof the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schoolssince 2001 and Chairman of the Vocational Support ServicesUnit for the last four years. In addition, Pat has been a memberof the Board of Management of Newpark ComprehensiveSchool for twelve years and is also a member of the NationalTrustee Forum for Community Schools.

Pat retires on 30 November, having successfully led CountyDublin VEC through a period of significant growth and processof modernisation.

Mr Larry O’FarrellyMr Larry O’Farrelly, a Science graduate,began his career in 1968 as a teacherwith Co. Offaly VEC in Birr VocationalSchool. From 1969 to 1984 he taughtwith Co. Clare VEC and in 1984 wasappointed as Principal of EnnisCommunity College.

In 1997 Larry was appointed ChiefExecutive Officer of Co. RoscommonVEC and during his tenure, wasresponsible for the introduction of several new initiatives to thescheme including a Traveller Training Centre, a newYouthreach Centre and oversaw the introduction of theGuidance Initiative and BTEI to the VEC scheme. Larry alsooversaw 2 major building projects at Boyle and Elphin centres.

Larry served as Treasurer of the CEEOA for three years andwas involved over the years at national level in a number ofIVEA task groups and committees including, in particular,working groups relating to Prison Education.

Mr Seán Ó LongáinMr Seán Ó Longáin was appointedChief Executive Officer of Co DonegalVocational Educational Committee inSeptember 1976, following five yearsof service as a second level teacherand a further five year period as aPost-primary Inspector dealing primarilywith the vocational sector.

Based on a partnership with themembers and staff of the Committee,Sean lead and guided the enhancement of the services andfacilities in the following areas: Second Level, Adult andFurther Education, Higher Education Services, OutdoorEducation and Music Education. The second level educationservice was enhanced by developing the new colleges including,Community College in Moville, Magh Ene College in Bundoranin succession to the Louis Order, Gairm Scoil Chu Uladh, forthe Gealtacht Lár, Coláiste Ailigh, Leitir Ceanain and GairmScoil Mhic Diarmada, Arainn Mhór.

Under Sean’s leadership, Co. Donegal VEC has developed anetwork of six dedicated multiplex Adult Education Centresthroughout the County and has developed Adult andCommunity services in these dedicated centres and otherlocations. In addition, a splendid Outdoor Education facilityand service on a 87 acres estate in Gartan Outdoor EducationCentre incorporating the Colmcille Heritage Centre was alsodeveloped and more recently, a Music Education Service inpartnership with other agencies within the county, based onthe Music Network Report of 2004 has been introduced.

At National Level, Seán served as President of the CEEOAfrom 2006 to 2008 and is currently an IVEA nominee on theCouncil of FETAC, the National Youth Work AdvisoryCommittee (NYWAC) and on the NCCA Course Committees ofboth Gaelige and History at Senior and Junior Cycle levels.He is also a representative on the ManagementRepresentative Group (MRG) acting on behalf of the JMB,ACCS an IVEA in relation to the National Council for SpecialEducation (NCSE) and the Education for Special EducationNeeds (EPSEN) Act 2004.

As part of a programme of Continuous ProfessionalDevelopment, Sean qualified as a Barrister in 1998 andbecame a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in2000 and an accredited Mediator with the Institute ofArbitrators in 2008. Sean retires at the end of November.

SECTION 6

30 WINTER 2009

IVEA wishes all retiring CEOs, their partners and families,every good wish for the future.

Tel: 01 4966033 or log onto www.ivea.ie for details

Purchase your copy from IVEA Head OfficeCost is €30 + €8 p&p.

31WINTER 2009

SECTION 7

IVEA WINTER ADMINISTRATIVESTAFF SEMINARDates: Wednesday, 25 November to Friday,

27 November 2009

Venue: Jurys Cork Hotel, Western Road, Cork

IVEA SEMINARS ONSUPERANNUATIONDates: Proposed to commence in January 2010Details of the venue and bookings will be advisedto individual VECs

SEMINARS FOR VEC STAFF ONMANAGING GRIEVANCEEFFECTIVELY IN THE WORKPLACE Arranged through the assistance of the VEC NPF andConsultative Forum (of IVEA and vocational educationsector trade unions) these seminars will be facilitated by theConciliation Service, Labour Relations CommissionDates: Pilot seminar January 2010

Further rollout scheduled in nine additional sessionsfrom late January 2010 to April 2010

Details of the venue and bookings will be advised toindividual VECs

UPCOMING EVENTS

Minister HanafinlaunchesIVEA History Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Mary Hanafin T.D. and Mr Jim Cooke,

Author, of ‘A History of the Irish Vocational Education Association 1902 -2002’

‘A History of the Irish Vocational EducationAssociation 1902 – 2002’ was launched by theMinister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms MaryHanafin T.D. at the European Commission Offices,Dublin on 27 May 2009.

IVEA President Cllr Mary Bohan highlighted thelaunch as being “a very significant day in the life of theIrish Vocational Education Association” and thankedthe book’s author, Mr Jim Cooke for his “labour oflove”. She also acknowledged Micheal O'Lionain,retired CEO, Dun Laoghaire VEC, and Barra O’Briain,CEO, Co. Cork VEC, for providing editorial support.

"Ireland is unique in having a national body such asthe IVEA overseeing vocational education develop-

ment" said Michael Moriarty, IVEA General Secretary.He also informed those in attendance “that Irelandand four other similar national bodies in Finland, theNetherlands, the UK and Denmark have recentlyfounded EUproVET, to promote the interests ofvocational education within the EU.”

Jim Cooke’s traces the development of Irish technicaleducation over a hundred years from 1902 to 2002 –from the first Mechanics’ Institute in Dublin in 1824,the Vocational Schools of the 1930s and theCommunity Colleges of the 1980s.

A copy of this book can be obtained from IVEA HeadOffice by emailing support@ivea.ie at a cost of €30 +€8 p&p. A very worthwhile read!

32 WINTER 2009