Write a comment
Minister for Education, Michele McIlveen took time out yesterday to visit three Newry schools.
Write a comment
A fundraising effort by pupils of St Joseph's Boys' High School, Newry has seen an incredible amount of items donated to a local food-bank appeal and to Newry Helping the Homeless.
In addition to the food, toiletries, clothing and family toys that were donated by pupils, their families and staff members for the local food-bank appeal, the RE department of St Joseph's Boys' HS, Newry was also able to provide £670 worth of pop-up tents, sleeping bags, thermal clothing and blankets to support the fantastic work of Newry Helping the Homeless; thanks to the benevolent support from pupils and a fantastic donation of £200 from Newry INTO Branch.
A further £150 in gift vouchers was presented to Stewart from Newry Helping the Homeless from benevolent donations received over the last few weeks.
Head of Department for RE, Mr Brendan Fearon, spoke of the humbling kindness shown by the St Joseph's collegiate during the Christmas appeal collection and expressed added gratitude to those that helped with the collection, adding "Thank you to every single person who helped support this extremely deserving cause, and we wish you and your families continued good health and blessings over the Christmas period"
Write a comment
Last Thursday 2 December, Southern Regional College’s Newry campus hosted the County Armagh heat of Springboard’s FutureChef Competition. The competition saw students from local schools compete to represent their county at the Northern Ireland finals.
The FutureChef competition is an opportunity for students aged between 11 and 16 to show off their culinary talents, help grow their confidence and further their career in the hospitality industry. Many of these students come to SRC to take part in the School Partnerships Programme.
The competition involved each student creating a main course dish in under 60 minutes using a budget of £5.00. Five students including Callum McElarney from St Pauls High School Bessbrook and Colleen Ferguson from St Marks High School Warrenpoint, competed against each other to win a place at the Northern Ireland Finals.
The judging panel included Geoff Baird, Business Development Chef at Henderson Group, Colleen Lennon, Chef Owner at The Oliver Restaurant Newry and Stephen Megaw, a former SRC SPP and Level 3 Professional Cookery Student and bronze WorldSkills medal winner. All three judges remarked on the exceptional talent these young people have and said their decision to narrow it down to one winner was extremely tough!
Special congratulations to Faith Belshaw from Newtownhamilton High School who was awarded First Place for her delicious cottage pie. Faith will now compete in the Northern Ireland Finals on Thursday 10th February in Belfast Metropolitan College.
Well done to all five finalists. Each student was fantastic and presented wonderful dishes under time constraints – we may have found some future local chefs!
For further information on our School Partnership Programme, please click here: WWW.SRC.AC.UK
Write a comment
A 'rustic but refined' Cottage Pie dish has put Newtownhamilton High School pupil, Faith Belshaw into the Northern Ireland finals of Springboard’s FutureChef competition, supported by Henderson Foodservice.
Faith competed at her regional heat where she and her peers were under the scrutiny of competition mentor and Henderson Foodservice Business Development Chef, Geoff Baird, and professional chef and judge Colleen Lennon, who method-checked and taste-tested the students’ cooking to crown Kristen the winner. Colleen will now mentor Faith as she prepares for the Northern Ireland Finals in February.
Geoff Baird says Faith’s winning dish, cottage pie had everything needed to help progress Faith to the next stage of the competition.
“Faith’s dish was rustic but refined, a plate full of comfort that delivered on flavour and presentation. We were all really impressed with the way Faith worked throughout the morning, and was able to deliver several plates of her dish to our judges on the day with minimal waste.
“I’ve been privileged to be part of the mentoring team of Chefs for the FutureChef competition in Northern Ireland, and the students have been so eager to learn everything from preparation, menu design and how to work in a kitchen as well as their options for a career in hospitality and expanding their skills with Springboard’s programmes to increase their employability.”
FutureChef is Springboard’s flagship educational programme which sits alongside a wide range of employability programmes designed for young people to help build their employability and soft skills, while giving them the confidence to kickstart a career in hospitality.
As part of its mission to nurture young talent and promote hospitality as a great place to work, Springboard is aiming to get 10,000 young people trained, ready and into work by December 2022 through its Springboard to 2022 initiative.
Caitriona Lennox, Northern Ireland Manager at Springboard added; “Faith is such a worthy finalist and really wowed our judges with her work and passion for delivering a great plate of food. All young chefs competing in our regional heats have been a joy to watch in the kitchen, and see their ideas come to life.
“We are wishing Faith all the best of luck at our Northern Ireland finals in February, where, if she wins, could represent Northern Ireland at the UK-wide FutureChef final in London in March.”
It was revealed recently that celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli will be the Head Judge for the Northern Ireland Final of the competition which takes place across the UK.
Throughout the heats, the competitors were introduced to important themes such as sustainability and plant-based and zero-waste cooking. The finalists will be mentored by local professional chefs James Devine, Colleen Lennon, Chris McGowan, John Clark and Chris Bell who each judged a round of the competition’s heats.
Since the FutureChef competition began in 1999, almost 200,000 young people aged 12-16 have taken part and learned how to cook, developing their skills and knowledge with many going on to establish themselves within the industry. Throughout this time, the competition has progressed and developed to form part of the overall FutureChef programme which offers industry links, online resources, module learning, careers advice and guidance, and a suite of teacher resources.
The five finalists will now prepare for the Northern Ireland finals which take place at Belfast Metropolitan College on Thursday 10 February 2022.
Write a comment
Earlier this year, Marilyn Warren, a lecturer at Southern Regional College, was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List for her Services to Education and Children. Unfortunately, due to covid restrictions, Marilyn was unable to receive her prestigious award at that time.
On 8 December Marilyn was delighted to attend Windsor Castle and be presented with her MBE from Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne.
Marilyn, who is from Tandragee and lectures within the Faculty of Health and Science, deserves special recognition for this award. Her dedication, outstanding commitment, and services within the field of education is a testament to herself.
She is no stranger to awards as in 2019, Marilyn was awarded the prestigious Lions Award for Lecturer of the Year as part of the annual City & Guilds Medals for Excellence programme and in 2018, received a coveted Medal of Excellence for not only being a champion for learning, but for her ‘enthusiasm and outstanding subject knowledge’.
Brian Doran, Chief Executive at Southern Regional College said “I am absolutely thrilled that Marilyn has finally received an MBE for her services to education and children. Marilyn has dedicated her life to teaching others and her career has spanned 43 years working across all levels of education from primary to higher education. She is a member of staff whose enthusiasm and passion for her area of expertise is infectious and consistently goes above and beyond to meet the needs of her students. On behalf of the College’s senior management team, Chairman and Governors, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Marilyn.”
Write a comment
Southern Regional College have been working with women across the southern region, providing the opportunity for them to boost their confidence, meet like-minded women, learn new skills and crucially obtain relevant industry experience and a level 3 qualification in business administration.
The ‘Women Returners’ programme is completely free for participants, funded through the Department for the Economy’s ‘Skill Up - Flexible Skills Fund Programme’. Women signing up to the programme also receive a weekly training allowance of £150 and part finance for childcare costs for the duration of the course.
Currently participating on the programme is Martina Comiskey from Armagh. She said “I am thoroughly enjoying the Women Returners programme at SRC. After being at home for several years, I was apprehensive about returning to learning and work. However, I have quickly settled in and the programme has boosted my confidence and provided me with the skills and knowledge required for returning to the workplace.”
Joanne Park from Rathfriland is also one of the women participating on the first programme. Joanne said “The Women Returners programme has been the ideal route for me to get back into the world of work. The lecturers are supportive and integrate a range of business knowledge and IT skills to all classes. Before starting this course, I was daunted by the prospect of returning to work but now I am excited by the opportunities which this has opened for me”.
Tracy Rice, Head of Business Engagement at SRC said “We are delighted to be able to offer another Women Returners programme through the Skill Up – Flexible Skills Fund. There was high demand for our first Women Returners programme which is currently running at our Newry campus and there has been significant interest from local employers to provide placement opportunities. We are delighted to be able to extend this opportunity further to women and businesses in the southern area.”
Skill Up was established to help upskill and reskill individuals to meet the needs of the economy as we emerge from the pandemic and continue to grow the economy beyond it. The Skill Up Flexible Skills programme offers the opportunity for participants to gain recognised qualifications, free of charge, in a wide variety of subject areas. The Women Returners programme is one of these courses.
SRC is delighted to be offering a second free Women Returners programme in the new year to meet the demands of women and businesses in the Newry, Mourne & Down and Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Council areas.
The programme will run for 13 weeks, Monday to Friday from 9.30am – 1pm, commencing on Monday 17th January. A 6-week work placement will follow. The new year programme will be offered on the College’s Banbridge campus.
Interested women can apply directly via SRC’s website on WWW.SRC.AC.UK or can email skillup@src.ac.uk for further information.
Write a comment
Economy Minister Gordon Lyons today launched a new Assured Skills Collaborative Welding Academy at Southern Regional College, with 12 training places.
Successful applicants to the Academy will receive industry-standard welding training that will provide them with the skills to take up potential welding roles with companies in Craigavon, Armagh, Newry and Lisburn.
Welcoming the Academy, Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said: “I am pleased to announce this collaborative Assured Skills Welding Academy at Southern Regional College, the fourth at the college this financial year.
“Businesses in the local engineering and fabrication sectors are continually seeking new people with these specialist skills. This collaborative approach at Southern Regional College will enable participants to gain valuable skills and, on successful completion, receive a Level 2 City & Guilds welding qualification which will give them a great opportunity to pursue a rewarding career."
Participating companies
“With no previous experience in welding required and £155 per week training allowance provided to participants on the Academy, I urge anyone who is interested to apply.”
The pre-employment Academy consists of a five-week intensive training course at SRC’s Portadown campus during which participants will study a Level 2 City and Guilds Award in MIG Welding Skills, followed by two weeks of consolidation training with one of five participating companies.
Following completion of the training, participants will be guaranteed an interview to take up a welding position at one of the participating companies.
Brian Doran, Principal and Chief Executive of Southern Regional College, said: “SRC is delighted to be working in partnership with DfE and a range of local employers to offer this fantastic opportunity for people to learn the skills needed to start a rewarding career in welding. We are pleased to partner with five local manufacturing/engineering businesses who will provide real-world training consolidation and experience to participants on this upcoming Academy, with the guarantee of a job interview for those who complete the course.”
It is planned to deliver the Academy over the following dates:
Applicants must be at least 18 years old by Monday 21 February 2022 and eligible to work in the UK.
This opportunity is not open to anyone currently employed within the manufacturing and engineering sector.
Applications are open until noon on Friday 4 February 2022.
For more information and to apply, visit ASSURED-SKILLS
1 Comment
Two Abbey Christian Brothers Grammar School pupils are celebrating their achievement in the 2022 BT Young Scientist of the Year competition.
Year 12 pupils John Paul McGreevy from Barnmeen and Ben Mooney from Saval took the BT- Northern Ireland Best Project Award for their Social and Behavioural Sciences project entitled 'Is caffeine necessary? An examination regarding whether neuromuscular/ mental tiredness is a state of mind.' Their project also took third place in the Social and Behavioural intermediate Group.
This years exhibition took part online and the pair gave a very confident presentation analysing the efects of caffine on the human brain.
Both pupils were congratulated by school Principal Sean Sloan and their Science Teacher Sarah Kee.
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition can be the experience of a lifetime for the students and teachers who take part and indeed many individuals have went on to become very very wealthy indeed. Patrick Collison took the Young Scientist title in 2005 and along with his brother John they are now worth an estimated €10bn each following their founding of the Stripe payment platform.
Designed to raise schools’ engagement in the critical subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), the Exhibition calls upon students aged 12-19 years from all over the island of Ireland to showcase innovative science and technology project.
Check out their presentation at VIMEO.COM
Learn more at WWW.BTYOUNGSCIENTIST.COM
Write a comment
Funded Pre-School places are available at St. Malachy's Nursery School Carnagat.
The school is a purpose-built nursery with 52 funded pre-school places for children aged 3-4. The Nursery School has an excellent outdoor area that boasts a sensory garden, fairy garden, willow dome, fruit and herb garden, outdoor sandpit, climbing frame and much more.
The staff in St. Malachy's Nursery School are committed to the holistic development of each individual in our care, we believe each child is unique and special, always building on their strengths and achievements ensuring they have the very best start in their educational journey.
Why not apply for your child's funded pre-school place by clicking on the link below and choose St. Malachy's Nursery School Carnagat, where children play, learn and grow together.
Apply via PUPILSERVICES.EANI.ORG.UK Closing date Friday 28 January 2022.
Any queries please contact the school on 02830 268536 and have a chat to Mrs McKinney, Principal
 |
 |
 |