The Irish Times Higher Options Expo is taking place at the RDS in Dublin from Wednesday, September 21st to Friday, September, 23rd.

The conference is the starting point for many students as they begin to plan the next phase of their educational journey.

It brings together representatives of institutions and organisations offering students information on almost every conceivable educational progression opportunity available in Ireland and abroad.

DDLETB will be there! Please come and visit us at Stand 20. 

Have a chat with our teams from

• Blackrock Further Education Institute
• Dún Laoghaire Further Education Institute
• Dundrum College of Further Education
• Sallynoggin College of Further Education
• Stillorgan College of Further Education
• Adult Education Service Guidance
• Deansrath Community College
• Grange Community College
• Greenhills Community College
• Baldoyle Training Centre
• Loughlinstown Training Centre
• Tallaght Training Centre

DDLETB offers courses, apprenticeships and training in a wide range of subjects and fields.

We look forward to meeting you at the expo!

The following information is from the Irish Times and gives a little more information about what to expect at the Higher Options education expo.

What is Higher Options?

It is an education expo where institutions from at home and abroad are represented. You will have the opportunity to talk to them in-person to help you make an informed decision about what course you will study and what type of institution you will attend.

What makes it so special?

While most institutions organise their own open days, Higher Options brings them all under the one roof, meaning that you can engage with several institutions in a short time. Even if you already have an idea about what you would like to do, you may not have decided on what type of college you would like to attend or what particular course would best suit you.

What questions should I ask?

The first question you ask should be one that you ask of yourself. What kind of course are you interested in and what are you looking for in a college? Jot these down before you attend and draw up a list of colleges you wish to talk to. As a rule of thumb, it is a good idea to ask the same questions of each representative. That will help you get as measured an understanding of each institution as is possible. Tailor your questions to suit your interests and needs. Ask about the various courses on offer. What are the academic requirements, what courses will make you more employable? What areas are covered in each course and how are they assessed? How big are lectures/classes and do they feature one-on-one or group supervision? Remember, you can ask representatives for contact details in case you have any further questions you may want to ask later.

DDLETB FET Clondalkin Minister Harris Visit

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris T.D. received a warm welcome today in Clondalkin. He was visiting the Further Education and Training (FET) Centre in Monastery Road where he announced the awarding of a multi-million euro project to refurbish and extend the premises. Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB) has been providing FET to the local community for over 50 years. The centre in Clondalkin is one of 13 projects to be funded around the country as part of the FET Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund.

Siobhan Lynch, Director of Further Education DDLETB

FET programmes and services in Clondalkin include three Community Colleges, two Youthreach Centres, Youth Services and an extensive Adult Education Service with an Adult Education Guidance Service. DDLETB also works in partnership with Clondalkin Adult Morning Education (CAME). In 2021, almost 600 learners ranging in age from 16 to 86 years attended courses in the Clondalkin area. Young learners in Youthreach can achieve certification in General Learning, Information and Communications Technology, Employability Skills, and Catering. The Adult Education Service provides daytime and evening services with courses in general learning, literacy, language skills, digital skills and skills for work. The service has also been providing English language support to Ukrainian refugees since April.

The Monastery Road building is located in the heart of Clondalkin village and was built in 1968. DDLETB provides a variety of further education and training services in the locality. The refurbished accommodation will form part of the Clondalkin Campus of a new College of FET for the local community, providing opportunities for all future learners.

DDLETB FET Clondalkin Minister Harris Visit

The Minister said, “The investments will support the replacement of ageing prefabs with modern teaching and learning spaces; expansion of capacity – including for apprenticeships and other training; bolstering of links to industry and to higher education; and improvements to Youthreach infrastructure.”

Caitríona Murphy, Chief Executive of DDLETB, welcomed the announcement, “This is a great day for our learners, our staff and the community. We are proud to have provided learning, support and development in the Clondalkin area for over 50 years. We are delighted now to have the funding to upgrade the campus. We look forward to welcoming even more young people and adults who wish to develop their skills, gain qualifications or improve their employment prospects.”

DDLETB FET Clondalkin Minister Harris Visit. Having a cup of tea.

DDLETB’s Further Education and Training (FET) Service, in conjunction with SOLAS, has launched an open call for funding aimed at providing support for local Community Education providers/groups. Closing Date is 31 August 2022.

The Reach Fund builds on the success of previous fund and is intended to address educational disadvantage which may be experienced by learners.

Funding Categories

1. Learner assistance fund, inclusive of education outreach/mentoring projects/transport costs for learners/urgent educational response.

2. Innovative green projects.

3. Projects focused on increasing participation in learning with target cohorts.

4. Events/awareness campaigns that contribute to equality policy and legislation.

5. In line with the ALL strategy, specific actions that;

• directly address those experiencing unmet literacy needs
• target funding on access to technology and devices
• expand community access to Wi-Fi and broadband resources

6. Community groups in pre-development phase to support the most marginalised and disadvantaged groups.

7. Support for refugee groups to support education and training delivery and promote/ support cultural and social inclusion, including research and/or needs analysis.

The closing date for submission of applications is Wednesday 31 August 2022 at 5.00 pm.

For any queries, please email reachfund@ddletb.ie

Click here to download the Reach Fund Guidelines.

This is a guest post by Youthreach Marketing and Development Facilitator, Marie Rankin. Marie recently travelled to Brussels with Christine Hughes,  Youthreach Rush Coordinator and Ava Kessie, past student from Youthreach Rush who was invited to speak at the ‘Good Prospects For All Young People’ event.

It was with great excitement and pride that we began our journey at Dublin Airport heading to Brussels and the EU Commission. Ava, our Youthreach Rush past student was invited to speak at the ‘Good Prospects for All Young People’ event, to mark European Year of Youth and the launch of ALMA (Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve) which first member states have pledged 270 million euro to its implementation.

We jumped in a taxi at Brussels airport and our formula one driver sped us away! Speaking in French with him for half the journey, and chatting among ourselves, he suddenly said in perfect English are you English! No, Irish was our reply to which he began to say how happy the Irish are and always smiling and enjoying life!

Arriving late at night to our lovely First EuroFlat Hotel, we booked in, checked out each other’s rooms and the view of the EU Commission just outside our windows! We couldn’t stop laughing as we were just so excited. We headed off to bed to try sleep and be ready for the big day.

Breakfast continental style and then one-hour prep for Ava as we went through her points for her live interview. We needed to time it as she had around four to five minutes to speak. No bother at all to her! Lucky we heard her thoughts though on her time in Youthreach before we appeared live in studio as it was very emotional in that room.

Time seemed to be running so fast, so it was off to get ready and walk across to the EU Commission carrying our gift for the Commissioner; a special piece of art commissioned from our Youthreach Sallynoggin student Serge. Security checks and badges and again remarks from the main security guard about how much we smiled and laughed, so much so that he led us through a ‘special entrance’ on our own as if we were esteemed guests as everyone queuing looked on. Just the start of an amazing day!

We met everyone involved with EU Youth projects and the other students who were from Italy, Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. They would be in the main arena in the Schuman Room, but Ava, representing Youthreach and Ireland would be live in studio with Aminata the Belgium student. Cameras were being set up, numerous translators were arriving into their studio boxes and the countdown began. We headed down to studio and Ava was whisked away for makeup and to be mic’d-up.

We met EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Mr Nicolas Schmit. We had met him during his visit to our Youthreach Clondalkin centre, but this time we had a chance to really chat, talk in more detail about Youthreach, Ireland and share a few fun stories. It was then show time.

Ava was inspirational, informative and articulate as she spoke live about her life, why she chose Youthreach and most importantly how it changed her life trajectory and that of her children’s. She felt ‘seen’ for the first time in education, she felt her ‘voice was heard’ and she was ‘respected’. She said Youthreach ‘broke the cycle’ as she was ‘falling through the cracks of the system’ and it completely changed her life and the life of her children. It was very emotional for those present hearing it, and Ester who was looking after us for the day, had a tear in her eye when we came out of studio.

And that was it, live part over, as we headed back up to the beautiful Schuman Room to listen to and watch the rest of the event. Hearing from all those young people, highlighted the fact that every European country as the same issues and that the traditional education system does not fit or work for everyone.

All European programmes need to be supported and financed with all the supports available, so these amazing programmes that help young people get their education and change their lives for the better, can continue to prosper and expand. Hopefully, in the future we will see Youthreach students taking part in ALMA, so when they finish in Youthreach, they can have a supervised stay abroad for a period of 2 to 6 months in another EU Member State and receive comprehensive coaching and counselling at every step and all their financial costs covered.

The day was drawing to a close and Commissioner Schmit came in to see everyone, congratulate all the young people and the whole team. Christine Hughes our Youthreach Rush Coordinator presented him with our gift; the beautiful drawing by Serge our Youthreach Sallynoggin student. He was overwhelmed and sent a special message to Serge saying ‘how gifted and talented he was. The picture had an old man lighting a cigarillo. The Commissioner stated that now he had two presents from Ireland which would hang in his office and ‘normally in my office you cannot smoke, but that is ok’.

It was now time to say goodbye to everyone and leave the Commission. Some final formal & informal photos before our departure. Thank you so much to Virginia, Ester, Luiza, Pirkko and all the lovely people we met.

A special thanks to Commissioner Schmit for his warm & friendly welcome and his continuing support for young people and Youthreach. Looking forward to hopefully seeing you in September!
Tired legs & bodies, but hearts bursting with pride and feeling so positive for the future of Youthreach and the European commitment for numerous supports to guide and help young people with their education, personal skills, confidence and mental well-being.

Marie Rankin