Huge congratulations to the Coláiste Eoin winners of Generation Apprentice. The students, Dara Connolly, Lewis McDonnell and Adam Kinsella under the stewardship of Miss Mullens told home the first place for their Green Alert entry. The students involved were Dara Connolly, Adam Kinsella and Lewis McDonnell. The students will also have their work featured in a forthcoming outdoor visual display and advertising campaign later this year to help promote the wide and varied career opportunities that apprenticeships offer.
Speaking on behalf of the Coláiste Eoin team, a delighted Dara Connolly said: “We created 5 A letters in various sizes to show apprenticeships that are really connected to green energy and we placed the word ‘APPRENTICESHIP’ down the spine of our design as the ‘backbone’ of our national response to climate change. We named our entry ‘The Green Alert’ because we wanted to share the message that if we don’t act now the world will face extreme heat, storms, melting glaciers and rising sea levels.
“Careers achieved through apprenticeship can help us take care of our planet. The competition has given us a great insight into the amazing apprenticeships that are on offer and the vital role of apprenticeships in driving skills growth. We are thrilled to win the top prize of €1000 in category one!” Organised by the National Apprenticeship Office and supported by Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris TD, the winning entries have been selected by a panel of industry experts faced with the difficult task of choosing a winner from a wide variety of interesting and innovative entries.
This year’s judging panel was comprised of experts from across engineering, construction and design who awarded entries across two main categories, each with a runner up prize, across the build category and digital categories. Dr Mary-Liz Trant, Director of the National Apprenticeship Office, said:“Huge congratulations and thanks to all the teams who entered the competition and to the judges for their invaluable support. The commitment of students, teachers and tutors provides optimism and a sense of a brighter future. Together they bring fresh ideas, creativity, passion and an exceptional understanding of the broader role played by apprenticeship industries in Ireland. Apprenticeship is expanding and we are creating a single, integrated and collaborative apprenticeship system that fits businesses of all sizes and careers of all types.”
The Generation Apprenticeship secondary schools competition is part of a broader, ongoing range of developments in the Apprenticeship space in 2022 – including the recent launch of a Gender Bursary grant to drive equality in the workplace, and the recent launch of new consortia-led apprenticeship programmes in careers as diverse as healthcare assistant, and bar manager.