V o l . 2 5 I s s u e 2

Front Cover 25-2.indd 1 24/05/2012 22:54:13

Allianz 25-2.indd 1 25/05/2012 10:34:14

EditorNiall Gormley

PublishersArd Education Ltd.

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At the time of press information in Education is believed to be accurate and

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©2012. All rights reserved.Reproduction in whole or in part without

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ISSN 0791-6161

VoLumE 25, IssuE 2

The Cleantech sector in Ireland can create nearly 80,000 jobs

across the Irish economy and boost GDP by €3.9 billion by 2020 according to

Ernst & Young’s 'Cleantech Ireland'

report.

Cover Story Pages 18-21

EDuCAtIoN 3

4 News

11 Éirim: The National Assessment Agency

12 Athlone IT: Using Facebook and Twitter for business

13 UCC Confucius Institute

14 ACCORD Marriage Preparation Course

14 Dublin City Hall: The story of the capital

15 College of Progressive Education & Montessori Education Centre

16 Earn while you learn with Lidl

18 COvER sTORy: Ireland's Cleantech Future?

22 HP school technology case study

25 Care of the elderly course launched

26 Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark

28 Institute of Beauty & Holistic Training (IBHT)

29 National Maritime College of Ireland

30 An exciting new programme for community based recovery coaches at DCU Nursing

31 sandford Language Institute

31 Walmer College and Holistic Centre

32 The science Gallery: A place where ideas meet and opinions collide

34 Irish school of Homeopathy

35 NsT student Travel

36 Global Ireland Football Tournament (GIFT 2012)

37 IBAT College and Airspeed Telecom

38 Reviews

Ireland's Cleantech Future?

Contents.indd 1 25/05/2012 13:14:50

News Scan...........................................................................................................................

4 Education

anothEr 6,000 new part-time higher education places for unemployed people as part of a further roll out of the Springboard initiative have been announced.

36 institutes of technology, universities and privately-run higher education colleges around the country will be offering 220 Springboard courses.

these courses will be in the expanding enterprise areas of ict, medical devices, the green economy, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, and international financial services. Programmes will also be available in cutting edge cross-enterprise skills such as Six Sigma, lean and quality systems, international selling, languages, business start-up and entrepreneurship skills.

courses are free, part-time, and are at certificate, degree and postgraduate level. over 3,500 people are due to graduate this month from the first round of Springboard programmes, which were put in place in 2011.

changes to springboard 2012

a number of changes to Springboard 2012 are also being intro-duced in response to feedback on last year’s first phase of Springboard.

the eligibility criteria have been expanded to include people who were previously self-employed and people in receipt of an extended number of social welfare payments such as the disability allowance and the carer’s allowance.

a Freephone Guidance line 1800 303523 is also being put in place to assist people with course choices and applications. the

6,000 new places on Springboard 2012 hEa-funded Freephone line is being hosted in the irish national organisation of the unemployed.

the Springboard programme has been developed in close col-laboration with enterprise and the Expert Group on Future Skills needs. Funding is only available for programmes in areas of iden-tified skills needs and which provide for an accredited qualification. Programmes will be available from higher certificate to post graduate degree levels.

iBEc head of Education Policy, tony donohue, said: “iBEc is pleased to see a further roll out of Springboard places this year. Feedback from enterprise to-date has been very positive. iBEc is working with the hEa to support the 3,500+ graduates who are due to complete the programme this month, as well as promoting awareness in enterprise sectors of the benefits of the overall Springboard initiative.”

a diGital technology and game development programme, WebElevate, has been announced as part of the department of Education's Springboard initiative.

WebElevate, an honours-degree level programme, which develops talent for employment roles in the digital technology and digital gaming sectors, will give a skills boost to these sec-tors, which are experiencing significant skills shortages. it is estimated that over 2,500 jobs are unfilled in the ict and gam-ing sectors in ireland.

digital Skills academy (pictured below), the innovative pro-vider of digital industry-linked programmes in higher and further education and training, based at the digital hub, will deliver the programme under the Springboard scheme with dublin's institute of technology as the awarding body.

200 jobseekers will secure places on this free programme. the programme will build on their existing skills and retrain them in-demand digital technology skills for employment in areas including mobile application development, web commerce, global digital marketing, web video production and the online and mobile game development and publishing sectors.

designed to reflect a real working environment, participants work in multi-disciplinary teams developing digital products and services such as web and mobile applications and e-commerce websites for many leading irish and multi-national companies.

direct employment opportunities with industry partners will emerge for many of the programme participants. a recent survey of the partner companies found that over 90% of their projects being developed through the programme have the potential to lead to future gainful employment.

For more information and to apply to the WebElevate pro-gramme, applicants should visit www.webelevate.ie.

Hea's Springboard initiative gives skills boost to technology

and digital games sectors

news.indd 1 23/05/2012 11:51:46

...........................................................................................................................News Scan

US Student ambassadors win awards

Education 5

in a ceremony at the department of Education in april, Education in ireland’s first ever group of student ambassadors were presented with certificates of achievement by Secretary General, Seán Ó Foghlú. twenty-two ambassadors from 16 different States in the uS and representing all seven irish universities were present to receive their awards.

the student ambassdor’s role is to blog several times each semester on their experience of living and studying in ireland and to represent their irish universities when called on. in addition, when these students return home they will from time to time work with Education in ireland and the irish universities at promotional events in their area.

education in ireland u.s. ambassador programme

in november 2011 Education in ireland and the seven irish universities launched a new uS Student ambassador Programme, connecting prospective american students and their families with those already studying in ireland.• The Ambassadors represent some of the 7,000 US students who

choose to study in ireland each year.• The Ambassador Programme is one in a series of new initiatives

aimed at raising awareness of the quality of irish degree and Study abroad programmes, while also assisting and encouraging interested students as they embark on their applications.

• Throughout the academic year, the US Student Ambassadors share their experience and insights of life as a student in ireland through blogs, articles and video posts. to follow their stories online or to send an email enquiry, log on to http://blog.edu-cationinireland.com or Facebook ‘Education in ireland uSa’.

meet the ambassadors

logan White, nebraska - studies engineering at dcu“i decided to go abroad for a few reasons. one of the biggest

was the chance to experience people and places from a completely different culture, as well as to get an international perspective on structural engineering…. So far my experience has been amazing. dublin offers a lot of new experiences, especially for college stu-dents. i am extremely comfortable with my decision…”

Katherine davis, massachusetts - studies business at ul“in the autumn of 2010 i started a study abroad programme at

ul, which was supposed to last for a year. after getting involved on campus and seeing the opportunities living abroad presented, i decided to take a chance and transfer to become a full student here. this was after only one semester! learning to live on my own and having to figure out how to rely on myself is one of my favourite parts of this experience and i highly encourage you to try it!”

olivia Wirtanen, minnesota - studies music performance at nui maynooth

“after completing my bachelor’s degree in Minnesota, i happily packed my life into two suitcases and headed to nui Maynooth. hailed as one of the premier music programs in ireland, nuiM is not only surrounded by beautiful gardens and towering gothic buildings but provides a welcoming network of support as well.”

University of Limerick ranked number 1 in Ireland by

International Student SurveythE university of limerick has achieved multiple firsts in a recent international Student Survey. the survey which involved over 5000 international students currently studying across the seven irish universities voted ul as the number one university in providing the Best Student experience, Best Student Support and Warmest Welcome in ireland.

the international Student Barometer™ survey was under-taken by independent research group i-Graduate and involved 238 institutions worldwide including the seven irish universities.across the four surveyed categories of ‘living’, ‘Support’, ‘arrival’ and ‘learning’, ul was voted as having the best over-all living Experience in ireland and the 5th in the world.

ul further excelled by being voted the most supportive university for international students who voted the Support Services as being the best in ireland. ul was additionally deemed to have the ‘Best Multi-cultural teaching Experience’ in ireland by the students surveyed.

ul also scored first out of 238 institutions world-wide in the categories of ‘Social activities’, ‘opportunities to experience irish culture’, ‘Social Facilities’, ‘accommodation office’, ‘clubs & Societies’. the following ul supports were also highlighted for exceptional merit; international office, learning Support, language Support, learning Spaces, it Support and catering.

news.indd 2 23/05/2012 11:51:46

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Emergency Services Training Institute is an Irish Owned company and is recognised by the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC). We specialise in emergency medical training, utilising Paramedic and Advance Paramedic tutors and instructors. All our training, equipment and facilities are of the highest of standards.

Emergency Training 25-2.indd 1 23/05/2012 12:26:20

...........................................................................................................................News Scan

Irish higher education system 16th in new ranking published by Universitas 21

Education 7

Ireland’s first altitude training centre opens at ULthE university of Limerick has opened ireland’s first residential altitude training centre. the state-of-the-art facility provides elite sportspeople the opportunity to undertake altitude training while also availing of the world-class sports facilities on campus at uL. the project has been undertaken and funded by Plassey campus centre.

athletes from all endurance sports; athletics, swimming, row-ing, cycling, triathlon, boxing and team sports such as rugby, football, hockey can benefit from altitude training. With no natural high altitude site available in ireland, many irish athletes have been forced to travel abroad to training at considerable financial cost.

the national altitude centre at uL comprises of seven bed-rooms a shared living space which can cater for up to seven athletes at any given time. the facility has installed an hypoxic air conditioning system that allows independent control of the ‘simulated altitude’ in each room, thereby optimising the alti-tude response for each athlete. the system is capable of simulating an altitude range from sea level to 5000m.

Professor Phil Jakeman, director of the national altitude training centre at uL said: "uL is pioneering a new approach for the sporting community in ireland that allows the altitude to be set independently for each athlete, dependent on their altitude response, thereby optimising the altitude effect.

this can be achieved whilst resident in a campus facility that can provide on-site training facilities and the further benefit of scientific and medical support from the uL research community. the launch of this facility has attracted the interest of olympians from within ireland and abroad preparing for London 2012.”

Professional accounting courses• Certified Accounting Technician (CAT)• Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business• Accounting Technician with IT Applications (ATI)

OffICe ADmInIsTrATIOn COurses• Certificate in Office Administration - Legal (Year 1)• Advanced Certificate in Business - Legal (Year 2)• Certificate in Office Administration - medical• Certificate in secretarial/ Office Administration studies• Advanced Certificate in Administration• english and Information Technology for International students

BusIness COurses• Certificate in Business and I.T. studies• Certificate in Computer Programming• Certificate in Business and IT - finance• Advanced Certificate in Business• Certificate in Legal studies• Certificate in marketing• Higher national Diploma in Business and marketing

PuBLIC reLATIOns & JOurnALIsm• Certificate in Cultural and Corporate Project management• Diploma in Public relations - Public relations Institute of Ireland (PrII)• Certificate in Journalism and Public relations• Higher national Diploma in media (Journalism)

ACCess TO unIversITY AnD THIrD LeveL• Certificate in Liberal studies - Access to university and I.T.'s• repeat Leaving Certificate

Rathmines College, Town Hall, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Tel: 01 497 5334

Web: www.rathminescollege.ie • Email: info@rc.cdvec.ie

nEW research into national education systems published by universitas 21 ranks ireland 16th among 48 countries. the uS tops the list, with the Scandinavian countries dominating the top 10. the uK is ranked 10. ireland lies ahead of Germany, israel and Japan.

universitas 21 is an international network of 23 leading research-intensive universities in fifteen countries.

dr hugh Brady, President of university college dublin was appointed chair of u21 at a meeting of the network in Lund, Sweden in May.

commenting on the publication of the rankings, dr Brady said the results support other evidence from Ecofin (Economic and Financial affairs council) which highlights the irish education system as one of the most efficient and effective in terms of the gradu-ates we are producing.

“We are conscious that the data used for these rankings is up to 2009 and in our cur-rent circumstances we will have to work feverishly together as a country to ensure we

hold our place among the world’s elite,” he added.

these national rankings measure twenty factors across four categories: resources, environment, connectivity and output.

under “resources” the factors consider expenditure per student, expenditure as a percentage of GdP, and expenditure on research & development per head of popula-tion. ireland ranks 12 in this category.

the 'environment' factors include participa-tion rates across society and a qualitative measure of the policy and regulatory environ-ment. ireland ranks 22.

'connectivity' looks at how well the educa-tion system is connected with the rest of the country’s society and is linked internationally in education and research. ireland ranks 11.

under 'output', there are nine factors rang-ing from research impact to unemployment rates among third level graduates compared with unemployment rates for those without higher education qualifications. ireland is ranked 17th in this category.

Rank Country Score1 united States ................100.02 Sweden ..........................83.63 canada ............................82.84 Finland ............................82.05 denmark .........................81.06 Switzerland ......................80.37 norway ...........................78.08 australia ..........................77.89 netherlands .....................77.410 united Kingdom ..............76.811 Singapore ........................75.412 austria .............................73.813 Belgium ...........................73.714 new Zealand ...................72.515 France .............................70.616 ireland .............................69.517 Germany .........................69.418 hong Kong SaR ..............68.919 israel ................................67.420 Japan ...............................66.121 taiwan .............................62.022 Korea ...............................60.223 Portugal ...........................60.124 Spain ...............................59.9

news.indd 4 23/05/2012 12:24:03

8 Education

One third of young people experienced mental health distress - study

News Scan...........................................................................................................................

OPEN DAYS:

SAT June 30thSAT July 21stSAT August 18th

thE My World Survey, ireland's first com-prehensive national study of youth mental health, was released in May by headstrong - the national centre for Youth Mental h e a l t h a n d t h e u c d S c h o o l o f Psychology.

it tracks, for the first time, evidence of the damaging link between drinking behav-iour and mental health in young people up to the age of 25.

the survey collates the views of 14,306 young people aged 12-25 years, making it the most in-depth and insightful baromoter of the mental health and well-being of ireland's adolescents and young adults.

this is the first time that research in ireland has studied this wide age range and explored both risk and protective factors which affect the mental health of young people.

nearly half of all sixth years in secondary school and over 60% of young adults (17-25) reported drinking behaviour out-

side the normal range as measured by the Who. depression, anxiety and stress were found to be significantly higher when young people engaged in harmful drinking or were classified as possibly alcohol depen-dent. For young adults, specifically, strong links were found between excessive drink-ing and suicidal behaviour.

engaged in self-harm

More than a fifth of young adults indi-cated that they had engaged in self-harm and 7% reported a suicide attempt. the My World Survey shows that nearly one in three surveyed had experienced some level of mental health distress. Suicidal thoughts, rates of self-harm and suicide attempt were higher in young adults who did not talk about their problems or seek help.

Six out of 10 young adults reported being stressed by their financial situation. this was linked to lower levels of positive

well-being such as optimism and higher levels of distress and excessive drinking.

More than 70% of young people said that they received high or very high support from a special adult. the study strongly confirms that the presence of 'one Good adult' is important to the mental health of young people. it has a positive impact on their self-belief, confidence, coping skills and optimism about the future. this 'one Good adult' can be a parent, grandparent, teacher, sports coach or someone who is available to them in times of need.

talking about problems is associated with lower mental distress and more positive well-being. approximately two thirds of young people reported that, when they had problems, they usually talked about them with someone. Males were less likely to talk about their problems than females. depression is the experience that young adults are most likely not to talk about with anyone.

news.indd 5 23/05/2012 12:24:37

.....................................................News Scan

Education 9

Canadian investors support UCC spin-out companyinfiniLEd, a tyndall national institute, ucc spin-out has just closed the first investment round worth approx €1.6m, led by iL investment Group from canada.

the total investment may reach up to €1.6million, which includes support from Enterprise ireland. it will immediately result in the formation of eight new high-tech positions at infiniLEd with up to 16 staff targeted before the end of 2013. all these positions are at a graduate level including a significant number of Phd graduates to support the on-going development. the investment will allow infiniLEd to continue the development of its technology and enable it to further grow the commercial interest that has already been generated.

TUI - crèche closures will force students to drop outthE teachers’ union of ireland (tui) has called for an urgent rethink on cutbacks that will force several crèches in further edu-cation colleges around the country to close in the coming weeks. the union today said that the most vulnerable students will suffer as a result of this retrogressive move. the closure is due to a cut-back that formed part of the last Budget.

tui President Bernie Ruane said: “this cutback is completely unconscionable and represents a vicious cut on the most mar-ginalised students in vocational colleges around the country. now more than ever, it is vital that every citizen has the right to pursue their education, and these students would already have made large sacrifices just to pursue their chosen course of studies."

77 schools to upgrade prefabs to permanent classrooms77 schools around the country have been given the green light to replace rented prefabs with permanent classrooms. the schools can now proceed with construction of the new buildings.

this round of funding will result in a total of 94 mainstream classrooms and 57 resource teaching/learning support rooms being built.the announcement is valued at more than €14 million, and is part of an initiative aimed at replacing one third of all rented prefabs in 2012.

alongside the 77 schools who have been approved, the department of Education & Skills is considering a further 110 schools in this scheme to replace prefabs.

the scheme will also create an estimated 700 direct and 140 indirect jobs, a welcome boost for the construction industry. it will result in savings of approximately €5 million per annum on the rental of prefabs in these schools in coming years.

New scholarship schemea nEw scholarship scheme for higher education has been announced covering 60 students from dEiS schools. the students, who hold medical cards, will receive a bursary of €2,000 each this September.

this number will rise over the next three years, to over 350 a year by 2015. they will be awarded regionally on the basis of the leaving cert results. those students to whom bursaries are awarded will also be entitled to apply for student grants towards the cost of maintenance and the student contribution or fees.

October Open DaySaturday 13th October 2012

opendays@ucc.ie

For more information, seehttp://www.ucc.ie/study

news.indd 6 23/05/2012 12:25:14

Eirim 25-2.indd 1 23/05/2012 13:30:15

Education 11

A professional qualification in educational testing

Éirim: The National Assessment Agency

arE you using educational tests in your school or workplace? think about what tests you are using. Why are you using this test(s)

and have you ever considered using a dif-ferent one?

if you were to consider using/buying another one, how would you know which one to use/ buy? – there are so many on the market!

did you know that every test has a degree of error in it but the amount of error will vary from test to test? do you know what degree of error is in the test you are using? do you know if the test you are using is really appropriate (i.e. does it hold any bias) for your group or if there is a bet-ter one out there? are you able to interpret and understand reported test results accu-rately and confidently?

if you are administering tests or are in a position where you are expected to read and interpret psycho-educational reports then you should know the answers to all of the above questions.

integral part

Educational testing has now become an integral part of modern school and college life. Whether at primary school, second level or college, effective assessment is at the heart of teaching and learning. ability, attainment, aptitude, behavioural and dys-lexia tests etc. are all conducted by teachers, guidance counsellors and support officers at school and third level.

in fact in many educational situations standardised tests are mandatory. in the primary years children must be assessed at two stages and at second level it is neces-sary where applications are being made for accommodations in the Junior certificate and Leaving certificate exams.

But who should carry out the assessments and what tests should they use? although

ing. it is run online all year round and a number of times a year as a 4 day intensive course.

highly experienced

the 4 day course is delivered by highly experienced educational psychologists. the 4 days involve teaching, group work, prac-tical work, role play and homework assignments. it is an intensive but a highly rewarding course with course satisfaction from previous attendees at 100%.

For those in the uK and n. ireland – once the ccEt course has been completed a follow on online course can be done in access arrangements (aac). the combina-tion of the ccEt and the aac leads to the certificate of Psychometric testing, assessment and access arrangements (cPt3a). this certificate is recognised by the Joint council for Qualifications. the course can also be used as credits against a masters in special education at Middlesex university (contact us for more informa-tion).

many professionals including teachers, guidance counsellors etc, have practical experience of administering standardised tests, not all will have had formal training or confidence in their ability to select, administer, score, interpret, and justify their findings.

in fact, there is much anecdotal evidence of test misuse by those with little or no training. Because of their value and the effects that test results can have on the future lives of individuals it is imperative that high testing standards are sought and that testers can provide evidence of their competence.

teamed up

Éirim: the national assessment agency Ltd. has teamed up with real training (uK) and has been providing training in educa-tional assessment leading to a recognised professional qualification, the certificate of competence in Educational testing for the past 4 years. the certificate is awarded by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and is the only non-psychological professional qualification available in educational test-ing.

the course is almost all about psycho-metric testing – how to pick different tests, what to beware of, how to interpret test results, statistical concepts used in testing e.g. standard scores, reliability, validity etc., practice administering tests and report writ-

Find Out mOreFor more information visit www.eirim.ie tel (01) 6674174. e-mail training@eirim.ie

Ensuring high standards for everyone working with special needs students or administering educational tests

Course testimonials"i learned more about statistics in one day than i did in a year in college!" (Primary teacher)

"a hugely rewarding course" (Secondary teacher)

"i have learned so much in a supportive atmosphere" (third level support officer)

"absolutely worth it to understand how to pick and interpret different tests and test scores" (SEnco)

"i didn’t realise that there was much error in tests! – i will be much more cautious interpreting results now" (Primary school Principal)

"gO –but be prepared to work" (international School teacher)

"One of the best courses i have ever attended - thank you" (Support teacher)

Next intensive 4 day course Dates: 19-22 June 2012 13-16 August 2012 30-2nd November 2012Venues: Dublin

Eirim 25-2.indd 2 23/05/2012 13:31:13

12 Education

Using Facebook and Twitter for business

Athlone IT

ForbEs magazine, the influential us business publication, recently carried a story headlined “Guess how many top 25 business schools don’t

teach social Media/business”. the answer to the question was a somewhat surprising 36%.

it was surprising because the phenomenal rise of social media platforms such as Youtube, Facebook and twitter has hardly been a secret. We are all aware of how useful these tools are for keeping in contact with friends and family. according to comscore, social media now reaches over 82% of the world’s online population. nearly 1 out of every 5 minutes spent online is used to engage on Facebook, tweet on twitter, connect on Linkedin – along with other social media activities.

not just for personal use

However, these channels are not just for personal use, they also have a very impor-tant role to play in contemporary marketing communications for business. it’s that pre-cise focus that led to the development of a new two-year course in social media mar-keting at athlone institute of technology. the intention is to produce graduates with the skill sets that are so badly sought by businesses.

the Higher Certificate in social Media Marketing (al655) will give students the practical knowledge and skills to succeed in this fast changing industry. as part of the course, they will undertake industry-related projects to develop their communication and technical skills.

a series of master classes by industry leaders is currently in preparation for the course, which will provide an unparalleled learning experience for students.

according to ait marketing lecturer, orla thornton: “there are simply not enough social media and digital marketing profes-sionals in ireland to meet industry demand at present. a talent gap has emerged between the skills required for marketing jobs and the number of people who possess those skills and this course aims to fill that gap. according to recent figures, digital marketing spend is growing at a rate of 20% per annum, so we need skilled profes-

ferred format of online marketing. the irish online advertising market was valued at €65m for the first six months of 2011, a 20% increase on figures for the previous year.

all the key social media providers have an irish presence, namely, Facebook, Google, Linkedin and twitter. the number of Facebook accounts in ireland in July 2011 stood at 2.06 million (an increase of 120,000 on the previous six months), while the number of irish Linkedin users in december 2011 was 591,000.

CoMparable tiMe online to tv

a redc survey in March 2011 identified that irish people are now spending compa-rable time online as watching tV each week. the average irish user spends 2 hours and 44 minutes online each week, while they spend 2 hours and 49 minutes watching tV. this growth in internet usage can be explained to a degree by the explo-sion of social media usage.

application to the course (Cao code al655) is through the change of mind facility of the Cao, which is available from 5 May until 1 july.

sionals to keep up with this trend.”Head of the department of business

studies, owen ross, said: “ait is to the fore in developing a course in this cutting edge area of business. in developing the higher certificate and in planning for the follow-on degree in digital marketing, we were very much guided by the needs of industry. students will spend a lot of time ‘doing’ on this course, so that when they graduate they will have the skills to be able to organise a Facebook campaign, they will understand how a video can go viral on Youtube, and they will have experience of app and website design.”

signifiCanCe of soCial Media

the numbers involved give some sense of the significance of social media plat-forms. Manchester united, for example, currently has 24 mill ion likes for its Facebook page, while Lady Gaga has some 23 million followers on twitter. Four billion videos are viewed daily on Youtube, Pinterest has grown to become the third most used social network in the us within two years of launching, while instagram was acquired by Facebook for $1 billion a mere 18 months after launching.

in an irish context, a recent aMas sur-vey, in partnership with the Marketing institute of ireland, highlighted that social media marketing is the second most pre-

find out Morefurther information about the course can be found at www.ait.ie/socialme-diamarketing.

n Athlone IT social media students

Athlone IT 25-2.indd 1 25/05/2012 09:58:56

Education 13

A brighter future with the UCC Confucius Institute

UCC Confucius Institute

thE pursuit of excellent teaching of chinese Language and culture has been a hal lmark of the ucc confucius institute. Since its found-

ing in 2007, the ucc confucius institute has provided students in 40 irish primary and secondary schools with highly qualified teachers and a variety of resources to develop their interests in chinese Language and culture to the fullest.

our tradition of excellence has prepared our students with essential linguistic skills and cultural knowledge to meet the chal-lenges in the future. We were proudly awarded the title 'confucius institute of the Year 2011' in Beijing last december.

over the past five years, the ucc confucius institute has offered chinese culture and language courses in around 40 local primary and secondary schools to more than 6,000 students and established three confucius classrooms.

our transitional Year programme of chinese Language and culture has proven to be very successful and popular with our partner schools. our transition Year pro-gramme was designed specifically to accommodate students’ need for linguistic skills and cultural knowledge during Fourth Year in the secondary cycle.

strategic relationships

the unique success of the ucc confucius institute is also founded on a set of strate-gic relationships – firstly, with cork city council and other local stakeholders in developing a deep relationship with cork’s Sister city Shanghai (the Lord Mayor is a Board Member of the confucius institute); secondly, the confucius institute is sup-ported by Shanghai university and hanban (chinese Language council international) and the confucius institutes’ headquarters; thirdly by co-operating with the ten cork schools that are twinned with Shanghai schools as part of the Sister city agreement. these vibrant links create strong bonds between china and cork and provide a fertile context for the activities of the ucc confucius institute.

other milestones include hosting ‘chinese Bridge’ - chinese Proficiency competition - for secondary school stu-dents in ireland; organising annual trips for

2009) and irish investment in china). We have also established the hSK centre where more than 100 students took part in Yct exams (a universal standard chinese lan-guage test system for school students) in 2012

in terms of curricula development, we have produced two national chinese Language curricula for ireland which were constructed within regulations of the European Language cEF. one was designed for irish secondary schools; and the other was designed for irish higher education institutes.

award winning

our other main achievements include the 2008 European award for Languages for its excellence, dedication and innovation in chinese language teaching and learning within irish universities and the shortlist for the 2010 European award for Languages for its excellence, dedication and innovation in chinese language teaching and learning within ir ish secondary and primary schools.

school principals to china and facilitating the twining relations described above. a particular achievement for 2012 has been working closely with both the ir ish Government’s department of Education and Skills and the national council for curriculum and assessment in order to include chinese into the ir ish State Examination system.

chinese studies

We are also committed to training local chinese teachers and producing texts books and teaching materials for chinese studies. as a pioneer in ireland, we founded the irish association for chinese teaching and Learning to improve chinese language teaching and training to local teachers.

this association hosted two seminars and two training workshops involving the par-ticipation of up to 75 teachers between 2010 and 2011. We are currently finalizing a 2+2 chinese Language teachers’ training Programme with Shanghai university.

our contributions to producing teaching materials include three published text books (introduction to chinese Language and culture, Readings in chinese Literature, the Business chinese Language and culture), and two English reference books ( the irish asia Strategy and its china Relations (1999-

Find out Moreweb: www.ucc.ie/en/asianschool/confucius/

tel: 021-4903086email:ucccioffice@gmail.com; yliu@ucc.ie

n Learning Chinese calligraphy

UCC Confucius Institute 25-2.indd 1 25/05/2012 12:58:03

14 Education

ACCORD Golden Jubilee.Relationships

ACCORD Catholic Marriage Care Service (formerly CMAC) celebrates its Golden Jubilee this year. It is fifty years since the first Centre was opened in Belfast in 1962.

accoRd actually had its origins in the British army. the par-ent organisation, the catholic Marriage advisory council, was the brainchild of a catholic officer, Major Graham John Graham-Green. a lawyer in civilian life, his duties in the aftermath of the Second World War included helping troops in London with mar-riage problems.

He came to the conclusion that there should be a separate organisation for catholic personnel. By coincidence his wife Eirene, a social worker, had arrived at the same conclusion for catholic civilians. He approached cardinal Griffin and so the cMac was founded.

the growth of cMac in ireland was truly remarkable. Between 1962, when the first centre was opened in Belfast, and 1975, when Fr. andy Kennedy became the first director in ireland, no less than 40 centres were established with the help of cMac headquarters in London. this is all the more remarkable when it is remembered that ireland was a separate country with a sepa-rate hierarchy.

Formal separation of the two organisations did not end their relationship. tutors from the two countries continued to train together and conferences in each country were always attended by representatives from the other, to the benefit of both. More important was the common bond of being Eucharistic communi-ties engaged in non-directive counselling of people with marriage difficulties in a christian context.

For more on Accord's services details visit www.accord.ie.

Catholic Marriage Care Service

Are you getting married in 2012?Prepare well with ACCORD

Attend an ACCORD Marriage Preparation Course by booking on-line or contact your local ACCORD Centre

(60 locations nationwide)

Visit www.accord.ie for more details

The story of the capitalTours

city Hall, situated in the heart of dublin is an outstanding example of the Georgian architecture for which dublin is world-renowned. designed by thomas cooley, it was built by the Guild of Merchants as the Royal Exchange and used as a financial centre until dublin corporation bought the building in 1851. it was re-named 'city Hall' in 1852 at the first meeting held there of dublin city council.

city Hall was the hub of dublin’s civic administration until 1995, when dublin corporation moved its headquarters to the newly completed civic offices at Wood Quay. it was then refurbished from 1998-2000, and was open to the public in 2000. it is still the focal point for the council’s elected members, dublin city council and the council meets on the first Monday of every month in the historic council chamber, originally the coffee-room of the Royal Exchange.

the sheer size and sumptuous fittings of city Hall reflect the prestige of dublin in the late 18th century. the spectacular entrance hall or Rotunda with its spacious dome is surrounded by an ambulatory where the merchants strolled and discussed business. the Rotunda is now avail-able for hire for corporate events, private functions and civil Marriage/civil Partnership ceremonies.

the superb vaults at lower ground floor level were also restored as part of the refurbishment of city Hall and they now host a multi media exhi-bition, “the Story of the capital”. the exhibition traces dublin’s evolution, from before the anglo-norman invasion of 1170 to the present day through a mix of video and newsreel footage, display of a number of important artefacts, interactive software and interpretative text. audio guides and leaflets are available in several different languages, the build-ing is fully wheelchair accessible and a charming café on site adds to the ambiance. FInD OUT MOREwww.dublincity.ie/dublincityhall/ • E. cityhall@dublincity.ieT. 222 2204 • Dublin City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin 2

Dublin City HallAn outstanding example of the

Georgian architecture for which Dublin is world-renowned

www.dublincity.ie/dublincityhall/

14.indd 1 23/05/2012 13:36:53

Education 15

Quality in montessori education

College of Progressive Education & Montessori Education Centre

thE college of Progressive Education established in 1986 is based in Blackrock a leafy suburb of dublin. the college has been the leader in

care training in the country since its foun-dation and currently delivers FEtac Level 5 and 6 internationally recognised, accred-ited programmes in the areas of childcare, Montessori and healthcare.

for learners who wish to pursue a career in care.

in the current challenging employment market there is clear evidence that the employment opportunities for many of the college graduates is as strong now as it was in the height of the economic boom. the new EccE scheme is giving rise to an increase in demand for trained childcare practitioners as is the changing population profile giving rise to an increase in demand for trained healthcare assistants.

Students who have attended the college are well regarded in their sector and have found it relatively easy to secure permanent employment. Students will find all the sup-port they need from the highly trained college staff.

the programmes are on the national Framework of Qualifications, which gives students the valuable option to progress their studies in the future in one of ireland’s renowned third level colleges.

Recognising the cao route is not suited to every student the college has over the years developed a range of high quality full time vocational based training programmes

Find OUT MOREFor further information on the College programmes contact irene Keane the Principal on Tel: 01 4884302 or Email: irene@progressivecollege.com.

Progressive Coll 25-2.indd 1 23/05/2012 14:07:16

Lidl 25-2.indd 1 23/05/2012 14:08:26

Lidl 25-2.indd 2 23/05/2012 14:09:02

18 EDUCATION

Ireland's cleantech

future?

Future trends

through skills and technological innovation. This report sets out why cleantech is the standout growth opportunity for the world economy, and how it can bolster a new wave of economic growth in Ireland to create jobs, investment, exports and long-term recovery from the current recession.

DRIVING IRELAND’S ECONOMIC GROWTH

Cleantech can deliver valuable and eco-nomic benefits to Ireland, through reducing costs and improving competitiveness, including:

• GDP – with domestic production increasingly replacing energy imports and cleantech exports rising, together with higher investment and consumer spending from new jobs created. Depending on policy choices and external factors, clean-tech has the potential to boost GDP by between 2.4 - 3.9bn in 2020, an increase of between 2% and 4.6% by 20202.

• Investment – with global cleantech

THE world has reached a tipping point in the way it uses natural resources to generate economic growth. After many years of slow

progress, sufficient momentum has finally built in consumer attitudes, business strat-egies and political willpower to make global clean technologies a viable commercial proposition.

Many challenges remain, however. There is still no binding global climate deal post-2012; large sections of the investment community still pressurise companies to seek financial returns above all else; and recession in the West has set the consumer agenda back several years. But these chal-lenges notwithstanding, cleantech is now established as a growth industry that will spearhead the future competitiveness of nations.

• The size of the global cleantech sector is already very significant – more than US$5 trillion1 worldwide according to some esti-mates, providing employment for some 40 million people – and Ireland can tap into its rapid growth in the sector to re-establish an international competitive advantage

The Cleantech sector in Ireland can create nearly 80,000 jobs across the

Irish economy and boost GDP by €3.9 billion by 2020 according to Ernst & Young’s 'Cleantech Ireland' report.

Here are some excerpts from the report.

Cleantech 25-2.indd 1 24/05/2012 09:07:23

Education 19

investment rising fourfold since 2004, and now worth some $260 billion per year, ireland has an opportunity to exploit its attractive corporate investment climate to create new sources of wealth and jobs. the scale of the investment is uncertain, but it is likely to be very substantial, representing a vital new phase in ireland’s modernisa-tion.

• Jobs – the total number of jobs (direct, indirect and induced) will range between 26,300 and 79,900 between now and 2020, or 1.4%- 4.1% of total baseline employment in Ireland. Jobs will be created from a variety of opportunities, from spe-c i f ic schemes such as the nat ional retrofitting scheme to the development of renewable power generation technolo-gies.

• Energy savings – cleantech products and services – ranging from simple insula-tion methods to information computer Technology (ICT) energy management systems – will also result in improved resource efficiency by reducing business and household costs. this is arguably one of the simplest ways to boost competitive-ness. the estimated difference in energy cost savings between the most ambitious and worst case scenarios modelled in this study is approximately e9 billion.

• Imports – Ireland currently spends in the region of circa e6 billion on importing fossil fuels, a figure which could be signifi-cantly reduced through greater indigenous energy production and aggressive imple-mentation of energy efficiency measures.

• Exports – In the most positive scenarios, investment in cleantech could increase overall irish exports in terms of energy exports and cleantech goods and services.

Tackling ireland’s energy andenvironmenTal challenge

the motives for developing cleantech in ireland extend beyond merely financial return. the country faces an under-appre-ciated energy challenge which threatens to undermine its sustainable development3 if it is not effectively addressed in the next few years:

• Ireland relies heavily on fossil fuels and imports for its energy imports (at a cost of circa e6 billion per year); its dependency on energy needs is in fact the fourth high-est in Europe, at 88% compared to an average of 55%4.

• Though not amongst the worst inter-n a t i o n a l p o l l u t e r s , i r e l a n d h a s above-average emissions per capita and above-average energy intensity by Eu

standards. the country therefore needs to improve its resource efficiency to meet long-term international targets.

• The country has below average record on waste management and recycling com-pared with other countries, and loses, for example, up to 43% of treated drinking water in leakage and unauthorised pipe connections5.

a number of policy initiatives addressing the areas of climate change, electricity market reform, energy, water and green procurement are currently under discussion at Government level. the legislative and implementation plans for these initiatives are expected to be issued soon.

the growth of the cleantech sector in ireland can help the country tackle its energy challenge and secure reliable and affordable supplies for the future, by improving domestic energy security and mitigating against significant price risks on imports.

grasping a sTraTegic opporTuniTy

to unlock this economic potential, co-ordinated strategic interventions are required to create the conditions for growth in cleantech and to nurture and support a dynamic, private sectorled expansion of activity.

1 Low-carbon and Environmental Good and Services - an industry analysis, March 2010, innovas Solutions and Kmatrix; 2 above oxford Economics’ baseline forecast, Economic Eye Winter 20113 According to the Brundtland Commission (formally the World Commission on Environment and Development), environmental sustainability is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without comprising the needs of future generations to meet their own needs; 4 import dependency shows the extent to which an economy relies upon imports in order to meet its energy needs. The indicator is calculated as net imports divided by the sum of gross inland energy consumption plus bunkers (Statistics compiled from Eurostat, 2009); 5 Assessment of Water and Waste Water Services for Enterprise, Fortas, September 2008.

Cleantech 25-2.indd 2 24/05/2012 09:07:46

20 Education

as shown in the countries who have developed an early market advantage in cleantech products and services, from denmark to Germany to israel, international competitiveness will not be achieved with-out focused government support.

as a diverse sector driven by the interplay of economic and environmental factors, cleantech spans different government departments and policy can be difficult to capture and co-ordinate in one place.

Furthermore, barriers to growth in clean-tech persist because of relatively long payback periods for some key types of investment. creating a national policy framework, over a 30-year or longer time horizon, is an inherently difficult but neces-sary step to unlocking the sector's full transformative capacity for the irish econ-omy.

ireland needs to create market certainty through a clear policy framework, reflecting a shared vision for cleantech sector devel-opment across key public and private stakeholders.

the framework should promote a com-petitive cleantech infrastructure and fluent capital flows; support world-class research, technological development, skills and enter-prise; help to prepare ireland's consumers for the transition; and ensure the country's emerging cleantech offer is positioned, marketed and communicated effectively overseas.

Sell Ireland aS a deStInatIonfor cleantech InveStment

Building a quality product, even in the form of world-class infrastructure, high-quality research, a dynamic skills and professional services base and a sympa-thetic funding community, is on its own no longer enough to secure inward invest-ment.

today’s global economic marketplace is crowded, and destinations need to shout loudly to be heard. ireland needs to develop a sophisticated branding, marketing and communications strategy to serve its clean-tech ambitions, positioning itself as a global technology leader and helping secure the investment it needs to prosper.

one particular challenge ireland faces (and shares with some of its smaller com-petitors), is that the range of cleantech subsectors is very wide. Supporting all of them equally would make it difficult for ireland to establish competitive advantage in any particular niche area.

other countries, recognising this chal-lenge, have been more directive in their support for specific sub-sectors: these include denmark and china (wind power), Germany and Spain (solar), and israel (water technologies).

a marketing strategy needs to be focused and targeted, linking closely to the eco-nomic rationale for investment in a smaller

number of key strength areas.Selling ireland effectively also means

presenting a consistent set of messages by co-ordinating across key stakeholders. on a practical level, it is not clear who currently owns ireland’s strategy for solving the energy challenge, or who is accountable.

Since strong public backing has been demonstrated as a fundamental component of national cleantech competitiveness, this uncertainty will undermine investment promotion activity unless it is addressed. a joined-up strategic approach across all government departments and agencies with long-term objectives must underpin inves-tor confidence in ireland as a cleantech location.

unlockIng the Sector

as the cleantech sector is driven by the interplay of economic and environmental factors and spans many different govern-ment departments it can be difficult for

policy to be captured and coordinated in one place.

But creating a national policy framework, over a 30-year or longer time horizon, is a necessary step towards unlocking the sec-tor’s full transformative capacity for the irish economy.

developing the cleantech sector, through effective and co-ordinated national policy, will not only create new jobs but underpin long-term economic competitiveness.

the private sector and private capital can develop, fund and deliver solutions very rapidly, in the right regulatory and policy environment. close collaboration between the public and private sector is critical to shape and implement a national cleantech plan.

the result of such will position ireland at the forefront of this rapidly growing global industry, creating employment and increas-ing the competitiveness of the economy as a consequence.

Cleantech 25-2.indd 3 24/05/2012 09:08:10

EDUCATION 21

INCREASINGLY, the ICT sector is becom-ing dominated by more energy-intensive activities such as data centres to support cloud computing – which will convert our work, finances, health and relationships into invisible data, centralised out-of-the-way storage facilities or data centres.

Given the amount of energy being used in today’s technologically interconnected world, data centres have emerged as the factories of the 21st century and currently consume 1.5-2% of all global electricity (growing at a rate of 12% a year). However, provided they prioritise clean, renewable energy sources, they have the potential to make far better energy choices than their predecessors.

It is foreseeable that for companies within this sector, the source of energy

will become a critical factor in future loca-tion decisions (as illustrated by data centre clusters emerging in areas like North Carolina and the US Midwest where cheap but highly polluting coal-powered electricity is abundant). The development of and access to clean energy solutions will be critical in ensuring key growth areas of the entire economy can be sup-ported.

Source: Adapted from: How dirty is your data? A Look at the Energy Choices T h a t P o w e r C l o u d C o m p u t i n g , Greenpeace International, 2011, available at: http://www.greenpeace.org/interna-tional/ Global/international/publications/climate/2011/Cool%20IT/dirty-data-report-greenpeace.pdf

Data centres - factories of future?

The full report Cleantech Ireland:

An assessment of the sector and the impact on the national economy

is available online at tinyurl.com/746l4zq

The Ernst & Young Cleantech Team in Ireland is led by Barry O'Flynn.

Tel: +353 (0) 1 221 1688

Cleantech 25-2.indd 4 24/05/2012 09:08:35

HP 25-2.indd 1 23/05/2012 14:10:30

HP 25-2.indd 2 23/05/2012 14:10:54

Chester Uni 25-2.indd 1 23/05/2012 16:54:57

Education 25

PONTIFICAL UNIVERSITY St Patrick’s College, MaynoothUndergradUate degree Programmes• BA in Theology & Arts (BATh) CAO code: MU001the Ba in theology & arts is a three-year, level 8, honours degree course comprising theology and arts subjects. the theology courses are taught in the Faculty of Theology in the Pontifical University, while the Arts subjects are taught in the National Univer-sity of Ireland, maynooth. Both universities share the same campus and facilities

• BA in Theology (BTh) CAO code: MU002The BA in Theology is a three-year, level 8, honours degree course aimed at students who wish to study Theology in depth. Students study First arts Philosophy as part of this degree.

The above programmes qualify under the Free Fees initiative and the Higher Education Grants Scheme.• • • • • • •

Mature students are very welcome to apply.• • • • • • •

The Pontifical University also offers a number of full-time Postgraduate Degree programmes in Theology, as well as one part-time evening programme in Theology.

OPEN DAYS: FriDAY 23rD AND SATUrDAY 24Th NOvEMBEr 2012 (SAME DATES AND vENUE AS NUi MAYNOOTh)

Further information on courses may be obtained from:The Admissions Office, Pontifical University, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, or from our website.

Tel: +353 -1- 708 4772 • Fax: +353- 1- 708 3441 • Email: admissions@spcm.ie • Web: www.maynoothcollege.ie

Irish charity launches Care of the Elderly courseFriends of the Elderly

irish charity Friends of the Elderly in partnership with comfort Keepers, ireland's leading home care company, is offering places

in a 5-day Fetac recognised, care of the older Person course.Friends of the Elderly are encouraging transition year students to

attend this course, which will be held in their dublin city centre community hall from september.

"We are delighted to offer this one week course to transition Year students," says dermot Kirwan, spokesman for Friends of the Elderly.

growing number

"We have a growing number of elderly in our community, and these numbers will grow for the foreseeable future. Government Policy is to keep our elderly in our communities for as long as pos-sible. so we will need many young people with these skills and the willingness to care for them, either as good family members, good neighbours or as part-time support to home care attendants."

the Fetac certificate gained for these who do this course will be a valuable addition to the cV and will allow the students to apply for work as a part-time support to home care attendants.

it is our hope that this valuable course will be taken up by every school in ireland that has a transition Year programme.

Any student interested in attending these courses can contact Dermot Kirwan at Friends of the elderly, telephone (01) 8731855 or e-mail: dkirwan@friendsoftheelderly.ie.Also you can view the web site at www.friendsoftheelderly.ie.

25.indd 1 24/05/2012 22:02:18

26 Education

What is a Geopark?

Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark

a GEopark is an area with really special rocks and landscapes. these may be special because they are good for education, or

because they are of great scientific value. they may also be special because the rocks and landscapes are very rare, or simply because they are exceptionally beautiful.

Geoparks aren’t just about rocks and landscapes though, they also include places that have important history and archaeol-ogy, fascinating plants and wildlife, and often intriguing folklore. after all, many of these are intimately linked with the ground beneath our feet.

About the MArble Arch cAves GlobAl GeopArk

united nations Educational Scientific and cultural organisation (unESco) endorsed Geopark status was first awarded to the Marble arch caves and adjoining cuilcagh Mountain park in 2001 and since this time the Geopark has expanded rapidly from these two original sites.

in 2007 and 2008, the Geopark under-went two phases of expansion first into public access lands in west Fermanagh and secondly into west cavan making the

Geopark not only one of the largest in the world but, also the first cross-border Geopark in the world. the Geopark now stretches from the northern shores of Lower Lough Erne in county Fermanagh to Lough ougher in county cavan. the Geopark is jointly managed by Fermanagh district council and cavan county council.

educAtionAl initiAtives

1. primary & post-primarythe Geopark offers many environmental educational packages including site specific packages for both primary and post-primary school pupils. a number of workbooks and guided education programmes are on offer for primary and post-primary school pupils. these are delivered at the Marble arch caves Visitor centre, cuilcagh Mountain park or at the Burren Forest. key curriculum components covered focus on the topics of geology, biodiversity, archaeology and his-tory.

indeed, specific programmes can be tai-lored to suit individual needs upon request. an Earth Science Education field Guide is available for Leaving certificate and aS/a2 level Geography teachers. this is a self-led study guide with information on sites to

Find out MoreFurther information please contact:Martina Magee, Geopark development officer, Marble Arch caves Global Geopark, Marlbank scenic loop,Florencecourt, co. Fermanagh. bt92 1eW.tel: 028 6634 8855 (ni) tel: 048 6634 8855 (roi)e-mail:mac@fermanagh.gov.uk www.marblearchcavesgeopark.com

n Educational activities on lower slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain

visit and the features of interest within them.

For primary school pupils Earth science workshops are organised as part of Science Week every March and november. training courses are also offered for both primary and post-primary teachers in how to teach Earth science more effectively and these are typically delivered twice a year at the Marble arch caves Visitor’s centre.

education Activities and learning areas• Cave Tours • Woodland and Habitat studies• Vegetation Studies • Sustainable Tourism• Glacial Processes • Rock cycle and Resources• River Studies • Sustainable living

2. tertiary education & lifelong learningthe Geopark has produced a small booklet with information on areas of study within the Geopark. the Geopark employs a Geologist and Education officer whom are both on hand to provide information prior to or during a visit. Where possible, pro-grammes can be tailored to suit individual requests. a number of university accredited courses are offered within the Geopark.

other servicesGeopark staff members can carry out visits to schools and also organise special educa-tion events at various times throughout the year.

Marble Arch 25-2.indd 1 23/05/2012 13:22:21

Education 27

CuilCagh Mountain and the Marlbank area provides some of the most spectacular scenery in Fermanagh.

at 665m, cuilcagh is the highest point in Fermanagh, and the only true mountain. its distinctive table-top profile is easily iden-tified across the region and forms the focus of an area rich in geology, archaeology, folklore, flora and fauna. the mountain itself is topped by gritstone, exposed in places as dramatic cliffs sweeping down to the lower sandstone and shale slopes.

the middle slopes of cuilcagh Mountain are covered with a thick layer of peat and form one of the best examples of a blan-ket bog ecosystem in the north of ireland. the lower slopes of cuilcagh Mountain are formed of limestone with its associated (karst) landforms and complex cave systems.

Cuilcagh Mountain Park

Marble Arch Caves

The Shannon Pot

The Marble arch Caves global geopark is host to one of europe's finest show-caves allowing visitors to explore a fascinating, natural underworld of rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers.

Lively and informative guides conduct tours past a bewildering variety of cave formations – stalactites glisten above stream ways and chambers while fragile mineral veils and cascades of creamy calcite coat walls and spread as shimmering terraces across rock strewn floors. Spectacular walkways allow easy access while powerful

lighting reveals the stunning beauty and grandeur of the caves. Electrically powered boats glide through huge caverns carrying visitors along a subterranean river.

tours last for 75 minutes and are suitable for people of average fitness. comfortable walking shoes and a warm sweater are recommended.

the caves have good parking, a souvenir shop, restaurant, exhibition area, an audio-visual theatre and are located in a national nature Reserve. Education Services are available for schools and colleges.

The Shannon is the longest river in ireland and the uK with a length of 280km.

the river flows from its source in the cuilcagh Mountains to its estuary below Limerick. this important river and its tributaries drain some 15,500 sq km or about one fifth of the island of ireland.

the traditional source of the river is a large spring called the Shannon Pot, about 16m in diameter and has been explored by divers to a depth of over 9m. the spring flows around the year and is fed by streams that disappear into limestone rock higher up the catchment area.

the reason why the Shannon Pot should be regarded as the source of the Shannon, as opposed to any of the streams that flow into the Pot has been lost in time, although it prob-ably relates to the mystical nature of the pool. Water tracer experiments have shown that other streams sink below ground and flow underground to join the Shannon Pot.

Marble Arch 25-2.indd 2 23/05/2012 13:22:45

28 EDUCATION

Creative opportunitiesInstitute of Beauty & Holistic Training (IBHT)

DO you want to work in the Hair, Beauty or Healthcare indus-try? If you would like a rewarding career with many creative and diverse opportunities along the way then the Institute

of Beauty & Holistic Training (IBHT) has something for you! Courses available include: Hairdressing, Beauty Therapy, Massage,

Sports Massage, Diet & Nutrition, Aromatherapy and much more too.

For students at IBHT, it’s all about having passion for what you want to study and who you want to be – and not so much about point systems!

IBHT teach students to become well-rounded professionals with excellent skills and knowledge. Employment opportunities arise in Salons, Spas, Cruise Ships, self employed and also great for those of you who wish to travel and work all around the world!

Reflecting the highest standards in their business and approach to education, IBHT are accredited by esteemed International Awarding Bodies such as: ITEC, VTCT, FHT, City & Guilds.

The teaching style at IBHT is learner centered - very professional & supportive with hands-on approach. A max of 12 students per class & realalistic work experience means quality education for each student.

IBHT continuously refresh their approach to training and education incorporating social media, blogs and access to information online. All inclusive prices and payment plans, are available at no extra cost.

Most diploma courses are run over an academic year of 9 months (Sept – June). It’s so easy to get your career off to the right start! Just visit www.ibht.ie or email info@ibht.ie.

Full-ti me & Part-ti me Diploma Courses:

• Beauty Therapy• Hairdressing

• Sports Massage• Diet & Nutriti on• Body Massage

• Refl exology• Aromatherapy

• Teacher Training• Anatomy, Physiology

& Pathology

LEARN A SKILL AND BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE!

Ireland’s leading education magazine

READ THE CURRENT EDITION

READ THE

PREVIOUSEDITION

OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE

ARD EDUCATION LTDEmail: education@clubi.ie

Publishers of: Education Magazine

Read the latest digital edition of Education Magazine

www.educationmagazine.ie

28.indd 1 25/05/2012 10:59:04

Education 29

Training and education for careers at sea

National Maritime College of Ireland

thE national Maritime college of ireland (nMci) is located on a 10 acre campus in Ringaskiddy, co. cork and provides training and

education for the Merchant Marine and the non-military needs of the irish naval Service (inS).

the nMci provides education services of the highest quality. Specialist spaces includ-ing survival facilities, seamanship and shipwrights’ workshops, fire-fighting/dam-age control, jetty and lifeboat facilities, and engine room are provided. the college also provides specialised simulation equipment in the areas of navigation, bridge training, communications, engineering-machinery operations, liquid cargo handling/damage control and vessel traffic systems. these facilities fully comply with the most up to date international standards and require-ments. a multi-purpose hall and sporting facilities are also included in the college.

Careers at sea

Life at sea has always appealed to people who want to combine travel with a challeng-ing career offering exciting future prospects within the associated marine industries. this is the life for those who relish the challenge of working with the sea.

Ships carry 95% of world trade and seaborne traffic is forecast to increase sig-nificantly. this is generating a great demand for high-quality personnel to manage and operate today’s technically sophisticated ships. apart from seagoing duty, the mari-time industry also involves shipbuilding and ship repair, marine equipment companies, ports, surveying, administration services,

gain further qualifications so that they can advance in their careers at sea.

General FaCilities

there is a cafeteria where breakfast, lunch, and hot meals are served. nMci has a hall for indoor sports and a gym equipped with weights equipment. an instructor is available to design fitness programmes. nMci stu-dents registered with cork institute of technology are entitled to avail of facilities and sports clubs on the main campus in Bishopstown. there are very active diving and sailing clubs which use the facilities at nMci, as well as soccer and rugby clubs.

the Learning Resource centre (LRc) is a focal point for students outside the class-room environment. here students can use the open access computers, read at indi-vidual study spaces and browse in the library.

currently, the library has a book stock of approximately 4,000 volumes and this col-lection will be developed on an ongoing basis with support from cork institute of technology and the irish naval Service as well as donations of funds and materials from external organisations. the library has a maritime focus and subjects covered range from law, meteorology and marine engineer-ing to seamanship and navigation.

as a constituent college of cork institute of technology, nMci students can request materials from other cit Libraries and can access online databases subscribed to by cit Library.

insurance and law.this major industry is looking for capable

and enthusiastic people who are ready for responsibility and hard work, and who enjoy using the latest technology. You will become a key member of a highly qualified team, whether on a giant supertanker, a container ship, a cross-channel ferry, a cruise liner, a specialised vessel servicing the offshore oil industry or on a cargo ship. opportunities at a senior level in management, marine administration, and many other marine related areas are plentiful and experienced marine people are always sought for such positions.

the nMci is the designated national centre for education and training for careers in the maritime sector.

in addition to theoretical studies, students gain practical experience in safety, personal survival, first aid and fire-fighting. all stu-dents train with experienced seafarers at the nMci and aboard merchant vessels world-wide. Whether the choice is nautical Science, Marine & Plant Engineering, or Marine Electrotechnology, the student will experience the most modern resources in the world of seafarer training. there are also opportunities to advance to higher post-graduate degrees.

student liFe

Students are at the heart of any college. here at nMci it’s no different. due to the nature of life at sea, our students come from very diverse backgrounds and have a very broad age profile. Most come directly from second level schools and colleges, however, many are seasoned seafarers returning to

Find Out MOreWeb: www.nmci.ie

Courses availablen Nautical Sciencen Marine & Plant

Engineeringn Marine Electrotechnologyn Nautical Studiesn Supply Chain and

Transport Managementn Certificate in Seamanshipn Courses for Professional

Seafarers

National Maratime Coll 25-2.indd 1 25/05/2012 12:12:26

30 Education

An exciting new programme for community based recovery coaches

School of Nursing and Human Sciences (SNHS) at DCU

thE School of nursing and human Sciences (SnhS) at dcu has collaborated with the Finglas addiction Support team (FaSt) in the development of an exciting new educa-tion programme for community based recovery coaches in the field of addiction.

this programme is designed to support a community level initiative which provides education, mentorship and supervision to people who have recovered from substance use so that they can support current sub-stance users in their recovery journey.

the 10 credit, Level 8 module, formally endorsed by the teaching committee of the Faculty of health Sciences this week, engages recovered substance users in a programme combining recovery theory, ethics, communication and behavioural skills training whilst providing supervised practice experience with participants of FaSt at various stages of the recovery journey.

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) and experiential knowledge will enable coach candidates to access this module in the event that substance use and socio-eco-nomic disadvantage has prevented them from undertaking previous formal educa-tion.

sustain recovery from substance misuse

the module is developed within the context of building recovery capital refer-ring to the sum of resources necessary to initiate and sustain recovery from substance misuse.

Recovery is defined as “voluntarily sus-tained control over substance use which maximises health and wellbeing and par-t i c ipat ion in the r ights , ro les and responsibilities of society” (uK drugs Policy commission 2008).

the principles of recovery focus on the central ideas of hope, choice, freedom and aspiration that are experienced rather than diagnosed and occur in real life settings rather than in the rarefied atmosphere of clinical settings. the strength of social con-tagion or social spread through the use of recovery champions, i.e. visible community based examples of success is receiving greater emphasis and supported by an increasing body of international evidence.

the proposed programme will attend to

Recovery coaches will work within FaSt’s services in a voluntary capacity to assist drug and alcohol users in their transition. the growth of recovery capital as a collec-tive community concept will involve mutual empowerment, support and recovery con-tagion in substance misusing groups.

programme benefits

the programme benefits will manifest in improved functioning for the family and wider community, enhanced educational and functional capacity and enhanced employability.

the overall total of individuals residing in the Finglas/cabra area reported to the ndtRS as receiving treatment for substance misuse problems in 2010 was 479 placing the area the third highest in the state.

the Finglas addiction Support team (FaSt) is the largest of the community based projects funded by the Finglas/cabra Local drugs task Force (FcLdtF).

employability, educational and esteem needs of a marginalised and socially disad-vantaged group, including both coaches and coachees, and address equality and discrimination issues currently experi-enced.

it is intended that this pilot, once evalu-a ted , w i l l p rov ide a t emp la te fo r dissemination through the network of local drug task forces (LdtF) impacting positively on the experience and capacity of current and recovered substance users nationally.

principles of equality and diversity

the formal 12 month part-time educa-tional programme for recovery coaches is based on principles of equality and diversity and takes a strengths based model of recovery coaching incorporating five com-ponents:1. the focus is on individual strengths

rather than addiction

2. the community is viewed as an oasis of resources.

3. interventions are based on participant self-determination

4. community outreach is the preferred model of intervention

5. People suffering from addiction can continue to learn, grow and change

find out moreenquiries about the programme should be made to dr. raphaela Kane, school of nursing and Human sciences, dcu. email: raphaela.m.kane@dcu.ie tel: 01-7008600

DCU Nursing 25-2.indd 1 25/05/2012 09:57:31

Education 31

Sandford Language institute was established in 1989 and since then has been offering evening courses for adults in all world languages. We also offer Private and Group-Private

tuitions, corporate tuition, translation & interpreting Service.for Secondary School Students 1st-6th years private and group

classes all year round in arabic, chinese, English Support classes (for students whose 1st language is not English), ancient Greek,

french, German, italian, Latin and Spanish. one-to-one Grinds for 2nd level students, Exam

re-Sits Grinds for 3rd Level Students.S u m m e r 1 0 w e e k c o u r s e f o r

Secondary School Students 1st-6th years commencing 27th June & oct.- May weekly classes (Wed 5.00-6.30 pm or Sat. 11 am – 1 pm options). also available Home tuition for Primary School Students – individual

or Groups.our tutors are all native, highly

qualified and experienced.

Ireland's largest language school

Sandford Language Institute

Find OUT MOREFor further information call us on 01 2601296or email us at info@sandfordlanguages.ieand we will be happy to advise and help you.

The Sandford Language InSTITuTe

Milltown Park, Sandford road, dublin 6 & 26 Merrion Square north, dublin 2

Large Car Parkemail: info@sandfordlanguages.ieWeb: www.sandfordlanguages.ie

• Evening Classes in all Languages• EFL Cambridge, IELTS & Pronunciation Classes• Private Tuition for Individuals & Small Groups• Primary & Secondary School Classes,

Private Tuitions & Special Needs

All World Languages

new terms running from June

to Sept 2012enrol now!

Phone 01-2601296

A world of complementary therapiesWalmer College

at Walmer college, our aim is to introduce you to a world of compleme ntary therapies and educate you in the area of your choice. We have some amazing courses and workshops on offer.

Walmer was established in 1988 as one of the 1st international colleges in ireland and has been training Massage & Beauty therapists for over 24 years. our experience in the industry together with our dedicated tutors provides the opportunity to deliver a comprehensive positive learning expe-rience for each and every student.the changing attitudes in health care and the increasing trend towards the use of natural therapies are reflected by the success of the centre to date.

We at Walmer find there is a steadily growing public demand for profes-sional training in the area of complementary medicine and the beauty industry. the college provides an ideal setting in which to pursue a new and exciting career in an industry that focuses on client care & healing . Various diploma and certificate courses available.

Walmer is situated in riverhouse,this oasis of calm is situated less than 2 minutes walk from raheny dart station on the Howth road, making it an ideal venue for north dublin as well as being within extremely easy access from the city centre and south dublin.

as well as operating as a teaching therapy centre, Walmer also boasts a long established & extensive complementary and beauty clinic with the most professionally skilled practitioners in the field, promoting personal growth and development through the holistic approach to living. We have the most updated range of beauty treatments available in our beauty clinic.

the Walmer corporate team also travels out to a variety of events over the country to help alleviate & de-stress their customers.

Find OUT MORECheck out our website www.walmer.ie for more information on courses and treatments available. Or call into the Centre and Laura or Joan would be delighted to help you with any queries you may have. Phone 018329645

At Walmer College, our aim is to introduce you to a world of complementary therapies and educate you in the area of your choice.

September CourSeS: •HolisticMassage •Aromatherapy •Reflexology •BeautySpecialist •HotStoneTherapy •IndianHeadMassage •PregnancyMassage •Threading •UltimateBrows •EyelashExtensions •NailExtension •HairExtensions •AstonishigGel/Acrylic •NailTechnicianDiploma

Walmer was established in 1988 as an ITEC College and has been training Therapists for over 20 years. We have now expanded out into the beauty industry with lots of exciting new courses available. Our experience in the industry together with our dedicated tutors provides the opportunity to deliver a comprehensive positive learning experience for each and every student.

This oasis of calm is situated less than two minutes walk from Raheny Dart station

Check out our website for all courses and workshopsAnd all your body and beauty needs

Walmer College &HolisticCentreTel:8329645•Fax:8329650

email: info@walmer.iewww.walmer.ie or

31.indd 1 25/05/2012 07:25:44

32 Education

A place where ideas meet and opinions collide

The Science Gallery

SciEncE Gallery is a world first. a new type of venue where today's white-hot scientific issues are thrashed out and you can have your

say. a place where ideas meet and opinions collide.

the exhibitions change on a regular basis, and the gallery has loads of new events every week. Visit their events listings on their website to find out what's coming up. opening hours change with each exhibi-tion, so make sure to check to find out the current hours. the gallery is always closed on Mondays.

unlike most galleries, they don't have a permanent collection. this means that there is always something new to see, but it also means that between exhibitions (which can be a gap of up to three weeks), only the shop and café remain open. So if you are planning to visit an exhibition, to avoid disappointment, make sure to check on the website and check exhibition dates before travelling to Science Gallery.

throughout each exhibition, there are events, talks, debates and workshops, giv-ing you a chance to get involved. Exhibitions are free and so are some events. Subscribe to the online mailing list to be among the first to find out what is coming up in the gallery.

EvEnt & tours

From breakfast briefings to board meet-ings, the stunning Science Gallery building at trinity college is the place where ideas meet - scientific, artistic, cultural or busi-ness.

With state-of-the art audio visual systems including point-to-point video conferenc-ing, a multimedia theatre, studios, galleries, wifi and fantastic catering facilities and service, it can transform a great event into something truly exceptional.

Gallery areas can be hired separately or together for full day, half day or evening events. contact Science Gallery on 01-896

Find out MorEscience GalleryWeb: www.sciencegallery.comtel: 01 896 4091 Email: info@sciencegallery.com

SciEncE Gallery’s mission of igniting creativity and discovery where science and art collide has never been as vital to ireland’s survival.

ireland needs to reinvent itself and cultivate a generation of creative, agile thinkers and doers able to bring together insights from diverse disciplines and move between science and art, between busi-ness and technology.

in 2012, Science Gallery will be a cata-lyst for this interdisciplinary reinvention, tackling themes ranging from the future of food and the science of happiness to hacking the city, nanotechnology, and gaming.

these areas are already meeting grounds for research, business and artistry, and our exhibitions and events will con-tinue to foster creative connections between students, entrepreneurs, inves-

tors, and artists in inspiring and in unexpected ways.

2012 marks dublin’s tenure as European city of Science and host to the ESoF conference, bringing over 5,000 interna-tional scientists and over 500 science and technology journalists to dublin. dublin city of Science will demonstrate that sci-ence and technology are a vital part of our culture in parallel, and in partnership with literature, music, theatre, and film.

to celebrate dublin city of Science 2012, Science Gallery’s year-round pro-gramme will push the boundaries of creativity through exciting exhibitions, events, and workshops at the nexus of science and art.

through Science Gallery’s ongoing activities, dublin city of Science 2012 can enjoy an enduring legacy in the heart of the capital.

Love science in 2012

4091 or hire@sciencegallery.com for further details on rates and availability, and take your ideas to another level.

Science Gallery can organise a tour tai-lored to your school or group.

tours are facilitated by gallery mediators at a cost of €50 per group of 20 people.

to make sure you have a great Science Gallery experience, please make contact in advance to pre-book your tour.

Science Gallery 25-2.indd 1 24/05/2012 10:20:01

Education 33

Past exhibits at the Science GalleryTHE VIRTUAL WATER PROJECTTIMM KEKERITZ

PEoPlE use large amounts of water for drinking, cooking and washing, and even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, and almost every other physical product. Usually, the amount of freshwater that goes into making a product – its virtual water content – far exceeds the amount contained in it at the end of the process.

The water footprint of a person, company or nation is not unlike their ecological footprint. It is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the commodities, goods and services that they consume. Based on data gathered by Hoeckstra et al. on the water footprints of nations, designer Timm Kekeritz created a set of infographics to make the issue of virtual water and the water footprint perceivable.

In collaboration with his colleague Frank Rausch, the Virtual Water ioS app was created in 2010. Its design is minimalistic, using only silhouettes and elegant typography, and featuring the elegant typefaces, TheSans and TheSerif by luc(as) de Groot. The design has became popular worldwide, published in papers and websites around the globe.

HUMAN+

THE FUTURE oF oUR SPECIES

SCIEnCE GallERy’S exhibition HUMan+ invited you to consider a future of augmented abilities, authored evolution, new strategies for survival and non-human encounters through a range of installations and laboratories exploring the future of our species. The exhibition ran at the Science Gallery in 2011.

This major international exhibition drew together a range of installations ranging from a euthanasia roller coaster to the prosthetic head of australian performance artist Stelarc. HUMan+ also included a children’s book illustrating the question on where babies come from in the IVF era to a vision of eternal life through digital means. It also featured artist Eduardo Kac’s “plantimal” called the Edunia – a hybrid plant which included the artists own Dna.

HUMan+ painted a somewhat ambiguous picture of the future of our species. What enhancements will we choose to become better humans? What happens when we live side by side with our robotic companions? How can we author our genetic futures?

MEMORY LAB

HaVE I SEEn yoU BEFoRE?

MEMoRy laB, a month-long laB In THE GallERy experience at Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin in 2011, invited the public to take part in a range of real, scientific experiments into how we remember or why we forget.

Eight separate experiments investigated a range of aspects of functional memory from how good your short-term memory is to how and why we evolved memory in the first place. Visitors faced a barrage of information to recall including numbers, letters, faces and even smells! They also invited people to come and record their earliest ever memory as MEMoRy laB sought to amass the largest database of earliest memories in the world.

MEMoRy laB also contained a rich events programme to allow people to explore memory deeper – including a talk by former US Memory Champion and author of “Moonwalking with Einstein: The art and Science of Remembering Everything” Joshua Foer.

Science Gallery 25-2.indd 2 24/05/2012 10:20:26

34 EDUCATION

I discovered a career in health-care was definitely for me

Irish School of Homeopathy

ANNE Collins worked as a civil servant several years ago but it was not what she always wanted to do and so she went back to college and

studied to be a Homeopathic Practitioner and now practises from two holis-tic centres in Athy and Naas.

Angie Murphy asked Anne what were her reasons behind changing her profession and she said: “I had always been good at listening to people and enjoyed listening to their stories but my job did not fullfil this carer/nurturer within me. Also I was very interested in a holistic and natural way of living and followed a healthy diet since I was young.

"In fact the reason I choose homeopathy as the particular healthcare to work with - was because as a teenager I had attended a Homeopath because I suffered from a repetitive digestive complaint and after some visits I never looked back and the complaint did not return.

"I now work part-time as I have a young family and being self-employed enabled me to construct my working day around my family needs. I now know, that I am definitely a people person and being a Homeopath is very satisfying – it is wonderful to meet such diverse and interesting people from every sector of society and every age group and care for their health needs; it is such a privilege and welcome change from my previous profession and I am loving it.”

The study of homeopathy does not need to start at professional level like Anne - you can also attend introductory workshops at our School or with your local homeopath.

FIND OUT MOREContact: Angie Murphy - Administrator - Irish School of Homeopathy 01-8682581 • www.ish.ie • info@ish.ieAnne Collins, Registered Homeopath 087-6187338 • www.glosnahouse.comTo find a registered Homeopath contact the society of Homeopaths: www.irishhomeopathy.com

health-care was definitely for mehealth-care was definitely for meAANNENNE Collins worked as a civil servant several years ago but it was not Collins worked as a civil servant several years ago but it was not

what she always wanted to do and so she went back to college and what she always wanted to do and so she went back to college and studied to be a Homeopathic Practitioner and now practises from two holis-studied to be a Homeopathic Practitioner and now practises from two holis-

The Irish School of HomeopathyHealth Education for Lifeat Milltown Park College, Dublin since 1989 and at Cork City since 2000. We are fully accredited by the Irish Society of Homeopaths, the regulat-ing body of Homeopaths in Ireland. www.irishhomeopathy.ie

Workshops Dublin, Cork and Galway‘Get Started in Homeopathy’ 1 Day Introduction €50 – dates at website‘Homeopathy & Nutrition’ Short course commences every spring

Evening with Miranda Castro Author of ‘Complete Homeopathic Handbook’ is here at our school 8/9/10 June – see website for details

Four-Year Professional Training Course (held at weekends)

Commences at Milltown Park, Dublin 6 - every SeptemberCommences at Brú Columbanus, Cork City – September 2012

Clinic at Milltown, Dublin and Bru Columbanus, CorkAvailable to the public as part of our student training programme, you can attend the student clinic at reduced rates. Visit website for dates and more details. www.ish.ie

Learn Easy Driving SchoolMartin McDonaldBallanure Lodge,

Delvin,Co. Westmeath085 1068566

Theory Test Lessons Free

Learneasy is how we choose to teach, we take pride in our ability to make all your lessons fun, informative and enjoyable. Our structured lessons allow you to learn at a pace that suits you pressure and stress free.

We understand that in todays climate, price will always be one of the most important factors when choosing your driving instructor and that's why at learneasy we drive only the most eco-friendly cars allowing us to pass our savings directly on to you keeping the cost of each lesson to a minimum.

One of the most frequently asked questions from students is "Can i really do this?" YES!!! you can, we are all capable of driving and nobody is unteachable.Learneasy will teach you to the very highest standard enabling you to drive with safety and confi dence.

With unbeatable pass rates and positive feed back from our students we know we are your key to getting on the road.

34.indd 1 28/05/2012 09:59:16

Education 35

Open your students’ eyes to the world around them...

NST

nSt is your complete school trip creat ion service. From the moment you call we’ll listen to and work closely with you to

build your tour plans from scratch. We offer full support from the onset – your tour advisor will be able to suggest destinations that will suit your students’ learning needs and their budget; and your dedicated tour Planner will use their unrivalled destination knowledge to create and an itinerary that contains everything you’ll need, and runs like clockwork.

We offer curriculum-linked programmes developed working closely with teacher consultants for the following subjects both European and destinations worldwide. • Art & Design• Business Studies• Christmas Markets• Classics & Ancient History• English, Drama & Performing Arts• General & Cultural Tours• Geography• History• Media & Film Studies• Languages (French, Spanish & German)• Music & Performing Groups• Politics• Religious Studies• Science

When you book with nSt, you’ll receive free educational resources too, to help you and your group get the very most out of your time away. We offer “Go Explore” journals for all language students travelling to Spain, Germany or France to record a daily journey about what they have seen and much more.

There are also fantastic Geography Resources for the most popular Geography destinations like Bay of Naples, Catalonia and iceland which contain a wealth of information which can be used prior, during and after a tour.

What makes nSt different from the other school tour companies is our focus on learning and the subject based tours. While the general cultural tours are still the most popular with nSt, we also have put a lot of research and training into the subject based tours. Our specialised brochures in Business Studies, Geography, History and Languages are the most popular subjects. there are

many other subjects catered for with excel-lent specialised itineraries. nSt offers Educational Resources that are unique to us, for example, we have “Go Explore” journals for all language students travelling to Spain, Germany or France to comple-ment the exciting itinerary we create with the teacher. there are also fantastic Geography Resources for the most popular Geography destinations like Bay of Naples, catalonia and iceland.

destinations closer to home

Most of the school tours are within Europe while nSt still have many world-wide destinations suitable for school groups. London and Paris are the most popular destinations, with Rome, Berlin and Barcelona coming in close behind. In these days of tighter purse strings, it is increas-ingly difficult to get the student numbers to take a tour. this is why nSt are working hard on destinations closer to home.

tours within ireland, especially to dublin, Derry and Belfast, have grown in popularity over the last couple of years. nSt were the first school tour company to offer History tours to derry. they worked closely with the Derry Visitors and Convention Bureau,

Find oUt moreif you are interested in finding out more of what nst has to offer call, email or check out their website -tel: 01 8940300email: info@nst.ieWeb: www.nst.ie

the local visits and History teachers to cre-ate an itinerary specifically for the History Leaving Certificate curriculum.

Lookout for our new website www.nst.ie, which will be revamped and updated over the summer. this will include all the subjects and destinations we have to offer as well as travel tips and resources available for everyone who books with nSt.

n First Years of Confey Community College, Leixlip at Sacre Coeur in Paris

Positive FeedbackSCHOOL tours are an excellent way to bring any curriculum to life. they are also fantastic for the independence, social development and to help ignite their enthusiasm for learning. Recently St Columba’s College travelled to Brussels on a Business Studies tour. The students let us know how fantastic a time they had. the feedback included

“the trip gave me a chance to travel without my Mum and go somewhere I would never have went to otherwise”

“Brussels was an excellent experience and definitely the highlight of transition year. the atmosphere was great from the moment we boarded the bus. i really enjoyed being able to spend time away with my friends and experience the cul-ture of a new country”

“Very enjoyable and learnt a lot”

“Amazing”

“i’ve gained more social skills and i found it easier to talk to people i don’t know very well”

“I will never forget it”

“Good to see how people live in other countries”

“it was my first trip abroad so it was a great experience and we did so much”

“I loved the whole experience, I had a great time”

“it was a good ins ight into the European Parliament”

NST 25-2.indd 1 24/05/2012 12:03:37

36 Education

Education In Ireland partners with Global Ireland Football Tournament

Education Links

Education in ireland has announced its partnership with the Global ireland Football tournament (GiFt 2012) to support their high school and college american Football games around dublin in august 2012.

Education in ireland, a government initia-tive to promote irish higher education overseas works closely with many uS high schools, their students and parents to com-municate the benefits and attractiveness of studying in ireland.

of the 30,000 plus international students

currently studying at irish Higher Education institutions, more than 4,500 are from the uSa and we welcome the opportunity to engage with this large group of students and supporters whose trip to ireland in august affords us a wonderful opportunity to showcase ireland’s world-renowned education system and world class facili-ties.

three american football showcases fea-turing a 12 teams from arizona, california, connecticut, illinois, Pennsylvania, ohio, texas and Wisconsin will be played at Parnell Park in dublin, Páirc tailteann in navan, and at a third venue still to be announced as part of GiFt 2012. the games will be played on august 31 at 4pm and 7.30pm, on the eve of the Emerald isle classic at the aViVa Stadium between notre dame and navy.

first time overseas

GiFt 2012 is expected to attract more than 2,500 participants, who will travel from the united States to dublin for the event, in addition to an estimated 20,000 predominantly american visitors for the notre dame-navy game.

Each school will travel with an average of 60 football student athletes, along with cheer groups, marching bands, key campus administrators, family members and alumni. this is the first time that such a large group of american schools and student-athletes have traveled overseas to compete in an american football event.

the participating 10 high schools and two colleges are among the very best aca-demic learning facilities in the u.S. and are located in many of the target states for Education in ireland’s programme in the u.S.

the message about Studying in ireland will also be carried to a much broader audi-ence through the vast media attention the games will attract.

tickets for all GiFt 2012 events, which each offer six hours worth of top-quality american football action, will go on sale on March 15, priced 15 Euros for adults and 10 Euros for students, with free admission for children aged 12 and under.

education in ireland will have a strong presence at all the Gift events. for more visit www.educationinireland.com.

36.indd 1 25/05/2012 13:20:51

Education 37

IBAT College builds for the future with AirSpeed Telecom

IBAT College

Building a strong brand is vital for third level institutions, and for iBat college in dublin, first established in 2004, technology plays a key

role in helping to consolidate its reputation for high-quality, flexible, student-centred education.

in 2011 the college opened its new temple Bar campus, a state-of-the-art facil-ity to complement its existing campus in Swords, north county dublin. the college offers a range of business and technology courses, and is on schedule to expand its current MBa offerings with a new HEtac accredited iBat college MBa beginning in 2013. Expanding into the centre of the city is an important part of the college's growth strategy.

"We took on more than 50 new staff last year, and our aim is to double our student numbers from 1,000 to 2,000," says iBat college Senior Manager thomas Russell. "in Swords we already have an excellent reputation for responsive and personable relationships with students. our challenge is to retain the ability to connect, when we are growing so significantly."

a key part of the college's vision is to use technology to make it as easy as possible for students and staff to get the best from the new expansion, and to experience no disruption.

kickoff

the college had pre-hired and trained staff in its Swords campus in preparation for the kickoff of its city centre campus in September 2011. Easy and uninterrupted communication would of course be vital during and after the transition, so the vision was to ensure an identical technology experience in the new location.

the remit for airSpeed was to enable staff to have the same access to the iBat student management systems and other key applications, regardless of which build-ing they were in. another key requirement included ensuring it was possible for any staff member to sit down at any telephone handset, at any desk, and login to claim that phone as their extension, making it easier for them to be reached regardless of which building they were in that day.

"this is what we wanted to achieve, and we spoke to airSpeed telecom to build all the network infrastructure to make this

all its voice and data services, is exactly what iBat college needs as its organisation matures. in its startup years, he says, the college managed and performed trouble-shooting on all its technology itself, whether it was an issue with PBX or a question about its internet connectivity. that's an approach that needs to change.

More information about iBAT college is at www.iBAT.ie

More information about AirSpeed Telecom is at www.airspeed.ie

happen, both on the voice and data side," says thomas. "We were in late negotiations about our new city centre premises, which meant there was very little lead time for airSpeed, but the deadlines were met and we opened on schedule."

relATionShipS for growTh

thomas explains that the managed ser-vice from airSpeed, which ensures continuity of quality and availability across

37.indd 1 24/05/2012 18:20:47

38 EDUCATION

Just Published.....................................................................................................................

Rock and Popular Music in Ireland: Before and After U2 by Noel McLaughlin and Martin McLoone

Nature's Way Booklets An Taisce

ACCESSIBLY written and well illustrated, this book explores Irish rock music's relationship to the wider world of international popular music through a detailed analysis of the Ireland's most prominent artists and bands - U2, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor, The Boomtown Rats, and Horslips - along with key musical movements including the Beat Scene, the Folk Revival, Northern Irish Punk, and Dance Music in Ireland.

It brings to the study of popular music the concerns of Irish Studies about national and cultural identity and, at the same time, enriches these debates by applying a focus on popular music culture to debates traditionally concerned with literature and drama.

The book focuses on the significance of music and music in performance, and it analyzes songs and albums, as well as live concerts on television and video/DVD. It presents a wealth of primary research to establish a detailed critical context, such as the music press in Ireland, the UK, and US.

The authors have interviewed key industry personnel, artists, and commenta-tors, and their thoughts on Irish rock and pop are particularly interesting to the broader debate. Irish Acebemic Press • €20 range

LOUGH Erne captures the magic of the lough in Alan Le Garsmeur's trademark photo-journalistic style.

His photographs capture the changing moods and seasons of the area, showing the lough in the busiest days of summer, when visitors abound and the waterways are packed with boats, and in the depths of winter, when only the hardiest birds remain and ice covers the water.

The book also showcases the wealth of history in the area, from the carved stone figures on Boa Island, and the round tower and ruined abbey on Devenish, to the area’s spectacular estates: Crom Castle, Florence Court and Castle Coole.

Alain Le Garsmeur's stunning photographs are accompanied by lively and informative words by acclaimed novelist Keith Baker (who grew up in Fermanagh) to create a unique and stunning celebration of one of the best-loved parts of Ireland.Blackstaff • €20 range

AN TAISCE has produced a series of illustrated booklets called Nature’s Way. These booklets have been part funded by the Irish Environmental Network (IEN) biodiversity fund and the Natural Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

The booklets aim to be fun and informative through brilliant illustrations and engaging, acces-sible text. The cartoons and illustrations are amusing in places and help readers to remember some of the issues and concepts, as well as inviting them to read the booklet. The messages are crafted to be appealing, and memorable.

The first booklet was produced in 2010 and is titled “Natures Way – Biodiversity & Ecosystems in Ireland”. This booklet is engaging and accessible, with lively illustra-tions and cartoons to illustrate ecosystems services and address some of the current challenges facing Ireland’s biodiversity. The topics covered includes:

Bogs, wetlands & flood control, Water quality & fisheries,Biodiversity on the farm,Sea lifeBiodiversity & climate change.

The second booklet produced at the end of 2011 is called “Nature’s way - Pollinators in Ireland”. This is a really lively and colorfully illustrated booklets, which depicts different pollinator species and addresses the following topics:

What is pollination?Who are the pollinators?Why do we need them?Threats/reason for decline

The third booklet in the series was produced at the beginning of 2012 is “Nature’s Way - The Wonder of Peatlands”. This book-let is composed of slightly more abstract illustrations which none-theless give a clear and engaging message to the reader. The fol-lowing topic are covered:

What are bogs?The origins and history of peat bogs.The plants , animals and bi rds found in

boglands.Peat extraction and threats.Climate ChangeProtecting our bogsAnd what the public can do to help protect

them.

To request copies of these booklets please contact naturalenvironment@antaisce.org

Lough Erne by Alain Le Garsmeur and Keith Baker

Without Power or Glory - The Greens in Government by Dan Boyle

IN 2007, the long held dreams of the Green Party to enter government became reality as they became a key part of Bertie Ahern’s Coalition.

However, the dream soon turned into a nightmare as eco-nomic collapse and political chaos descended on the island, resulting in a banking crisis, an IMF Bailout and an electoral wipe-out for the party and its members. While the party’s naivety and inexperience made it ill prepared for these events, its contribution raised questions and made a difference in several important areas.This is the first insider account from a senior Green Party leader describ-ing events from before the 2007 election through the trauma of the bailout and defeat in the 2011 General Election.. The Liffey Press • €20

The first booklet was produced in 2010 and is titled “Natures Way – Biodiversity & Ecosystems in

An TaisceAN TAISCEbooklets called Nature’s Way. These booklets have been part funded by the Irish Environmental Network (IEN) biodiversity fund and the Natural Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

through brilliant illustrations and engaging, acces-sible text. The cartoons and illustrations are amusing in places and help readers to remember some of the issues and concepts, as well as inviting them to read the booklet. The messages are crafted to be appealing, and memorable.

written and well illustrated, this book explores Irish rock music's relationship to the wider world of international popular music through a detailed analysis of the Ireland's most prominent artists and bands - U2, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor, The Boomtown Rats, and Horslips - along

and, at the same time, enriches these debates by applying a focus on popular

theless give a clear and engaging message to the reader. The fol-lowing topic are covered:

boglands.

them.

2007, the long held dreams of the Green Party to enter government became reality as they became a key part of Bertie

its contribution raised questions and made a difference in several important

the end of 2011 is called “Nature’s way - Pollinators in Ireland”. This is a really lively and colorfully illustrated booklets, which depicts different pollinator species and

Erne captures the magic of the lough in

in the depths of winter, when only the hardiest birds remain and ice

by Alain Le Garsmeur and Keith Baker

The second booklet produced at the end of 2011 is called “Nature’s way - Pollinators in Ireland”. This

The third booklet in the series was produced at the beginning of 2012 is “Nature’s Way - The

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