Gaeilge
Over two hundred people gathered in the Radisson Hotel, Letterkenny on Tuesday 20 November to receive a wide range of awards from Donegal ETB’s Further Education and Training Services.
Donegal ETB presented certificates to 200 learners who achieved certification in a range of programmes both on a full-time and a part-time basis over the last year. Many of these learners completed their courses in Donegal ETB’s Further Education and Training (FET) Centres in Letterkenny (Ballyraine and Ard O Donnell) and Milford, as well as a range of other venues around these areas. Certificates were presented in a wide range of programmes and subject areas including Catering, Construction Ground Work, Creative Styling, Barbering, Hairdressing, Early Childhood Care and Education, ECDL, Healthcare Support, Horticulture, Literacy, Manicure and Pedicure, Make-Up, Nail Technology and Welding (Coded, Mig, Manual Arc and Intermediate).
A number of former learners, including Biljana Durakovska Velichkovska and Inge Stiller (Learning for Living), Christopher Lindsay (Coded Welding), Lisa Geraghty (Make-Up) and Kate O’Callaghan (Horticulture), spoke at the awards about their experience of completing FET courses with Donegal ETB. This was echoed by Donegal ETB Chairperson, Cllr Martin Hanley, who, speaking before he presented the awards, said, “It’s an honour to be here tonight to present these awards. I returned to education myself as an adult and I understand how daunting it is so I appreciate all the hard work you have put in. I would like to congratulate all of you on your achievements.”
Many of the FET awards were co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Social Fund as part of the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020. Youthreach is also additionally co-funded by the Youth Employment Initiative.
Cróna Gallagher, Director of FET, Donegal ETB, stated, “It’s fantastic to see so many learners receiving awards here tonight. They have put in so much work to get their certification and I’m delighted to be able to share in their achievements. The certification they have received here tonight will now open up many more progression options to them within further education and training or the world of work.”
In 2017, over 11,000 learners completed courses in more than 120 venues across the county, making Donegal ETB the largest FET provider in the county. Its wide range of courses can be found on the course finder section of its website (www.donegaletb.ie/coursefinder).
