The Magazine from The Schools’ Business Partnership

Summer 2011 Edition

Links

In this issue...St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar & M&S, Letterkenny: This is not just good...it’s M&S good!Scoil Mhuire Fatima, Cork and Bord Gáis enjoy Learning in the Library as part of Time to Read“It’s a Wrap” as students nationwide share what they have learned as part of Skills @ Work

Welcome

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Inside this edition you will be entertained and informed by our students in Ireland who have to be amongst the most creative in the world. They have provided the reader with a most wonderful insight in to their learnings, lessons and inspirations that the

Schools’ Business Partnership programmes have afforded them. Schools engaging with their local large businesses is such a natural process that I think every school in Ireland should have a business partner. The companies benefit as much out of the engagement as the schools and students do.

This year SBP embarked on a path of innovation in response to identified needs by some schools to seek business input for teacher development. The Management Excellence for Teachers programme came about and was delivered to 18 schools in Ireland. A number of schools and their companies had established such a deep trust that this progression made complete sense and on page 3 you can read about the significant benefits that the teachers in Cobh CC in Cork experienced as a result of the seminars delivered by their business partner GE Healthcare to the whole teaching staff. Ireland is demonstrating an openness through this programme to sharing and supporting that is remarkable and which can only advance our nation and economy. I hope that the Department of Education & Skills continue to support this unique opportunity for invaluable and cost effective professional development for teachers. Many thanks to the SBP team for encouraging the schools and companies over the past several months to consider embracing this new engagement.

The other major new milestone was the Time to Read pilot in 6 primary schools. The evaluation results will be published in October this year and the past 10 months have been most exciting for everyone involved. You can get a ‘peek’ into this programme on page 12 where there is an account of Bord Gáis and Scoil Mhuire Fatima’s library visit to Blackpool Library.

Our Minister for Education & Skills, Ruairi Quinn joined us earlier this month as our guest to present the volunteers and students in the companies and schools who had just completed the 2 year mentoring programme. This event showcases the benefits of mentoring and Minister Quinn offered valuable advice to the young people present on the critical message of completing one’s education to remain “on the bridge” to the world of work or further education. Page 9 recounts the annual celebration event.

The SBP national team has embarked on its next phase – that of seeking new business partners for 40 more schools. We endeavour to reach this next milestone over the next 2 to 3 years. It is a most exciting phase and it will further realise the ambition of all our stakeholders to advance educational inclusion in Ireland. The most recent Department report highlights the success in the past 5 or 6 years of all involved in the school completion agenda in Ireland – onwards and upwards!

At the end of another academic year, sincere thanks to Jonathan Smith and all in M & S, Michael O’Brien and all in Cornmarket, John Mullins and the Bord Gáis employees, all the selfless business volunteers throughout the country, the principals, teachers and students who are at the heart of our work, the Minister and all in his Department, Jim Mulkerrins and the Social Inclusion Unit, the School Completion Programme team and all the SBP team whose passion knows no bounds! Finally, this year’s publication was spearheaded by Ciara Murphy. Ciara, you have done a great job bringing the work and programmes to life for the readers of LINKS - thanks so much.Germaine Noonan | Programme Manager

Germaine Noonan

ContentsWelcome 1News 2Management Excellence for Teachers 3 Skills @ Work 5Mentoring Celebration 9Diary of a Mentor 11Time to Read 12It’s a Wrap! 13Meet the Students 15

BITCI News

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Front Cover PhotosTop Row Left to Right:1. Enda Kelliher, KPMG with pupils from Scoil Caitriona na Mbraithre, Baggot St at the Time to Read Library Visit.2. St. Conleth’s CC, Newbridge and Oral B, Newbridge launch a new SBP Partnership3. Getting in the Mooooood: Students from Deele College, Raphoe at their wrap up session with Donegal Creameries

Middle Row Left to Right:1. Ard Scoil Mhuire student receives customer service training from Cook Ireland Customer Service Rep. 2. Brian Kelly and Michael Logue, Pramerica Systems Ireland who volunteered to work with Mulroy College students on the Skills @ Work Programme. 3. John Seale, Investment Manager ESB Fleet Equipment & Tadhg Crowley, Safety & Environment Manager with students from St John de la Salle College, Ballyfermot on a site visit of the workshop.

Bottom Row Left to Right:1. Ciara Lawler and Joyce Richardson (IFS-Naas) interview Vanessa, Pipers Hill College, Kildare.2. Volunteers from élan and pupils from City Quay NS calebrate St. Patrick’s Day at their Time to Read Library Visit.3. Mentors from KPMG with students from Westland Row CBS enjoy their end of year social to Kippure Adventure Centre, Wicklow.

Get involved with Project Maths Major junior and leaving certificate curriculum reform under Project Maths began in all second level schools in September 2010. Feedback from the initiative has highlighted a particular need for resources and support materials that provide authentic real-life examples of the application of the mathematics concepts in the curriculum.

Material could include reference to videos, stills, worksheets, lesson plans and step-by-step explanations of their relevance to the strands of Project Maths. Quite simple resources such as posters from companies highlighting what area of mathematics they use in their business can be an useful classroom aid.

The Department of Education and Skills is also seeking expressions of interest from companies who have, or are planning, volunteer programmes which provide support to teachers and students. The Department has prepared templates for teaching materials and volunteer programmes with examples of initiatives, which are also available on the IBEC website. Submit your suggestion to projectmathsqcap@education.gov.ie. For further information contact Tony Donohoe, IBEC head of education policy, at tony.donohoe@ibec.ie.

Read firsthand experiences from Intel Education Service Corps As part of Intel’s ongoing commitment to improving education through the effective use of technology, Intel’s Education Market Platforms Group (EMPG) launched the Intel Education Service Corps (IESC) in September 2009.

This program is a short-term service and career development opportunity, for a select group of Intel employees to travel to a developing country to directly support the deployment of Intel-powered classmate PCs. Sarah Frawley, an Automation Engineer from Ireland, recaps her team’s final days in Vietnam in an interesting online blog. http://blogs.intel.com/csr/2009/09/announcing_the_intel_education.php

Management Excellence for PrincipalsA unique programme in the Irish education and business context, Management Excellence for Principals (MEP) invites business leaders to share expertise and strategy with educational leaders through a series of workshops over the course of the school year.

58 principals and deputy principals attended seminars on Leadership, Time Management and Preformance Managment during the 2010 / 2011 academic year. Seminars took place in Cork, Galway and Dublin for Principals as well as Limerick and Dublin for Deputy Principals. The evaluation report will be available in early June.

An extraordinary 70% of school principals have participated since the programme was introduced. The companies involved in the 2010 / 2011 series include Coillte, Diageo, Cornmarket, Tallaght Hospital, Intel Shannon, VHI, Vistakon, Musgrave, IMI, Centocor and Ulster Bank.

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Management Excellence for TeachersFollowing a successful pilot in 2009 / 2010, The Schools’ Business Partnership has introduced

Management Excellence for Teachers in 18 schools throughtout Ireland in 2011. Following two successful seminars with the staff team in Cobh Community College, Ita Gubbins,

Training & Development Manager with GE Healthcare and Frances Murphy, Teacher at Cobh CC share their experience of the programme with Celine McGrath, Regional Coordinator.

Management Excellence for Teachers

Ita Gubbins, GE Healthcare, has been to the forefront of delivering MET in Cobh CC. She is now instantly recognised in the staff room at Cobh CC and the teachers have really got behind the initiative.

What initially attracted you to the MET programme?Ita: GE Healthcare had been working with Cobh Community College and the Schools BusinessPartnership for some time. The key influencing factors for us were that we have a lot of employees from the Cobh area and many who have attended Cobh Community College. The second factor, as we saw it, was an opportunity to meet future potential employees. The final factor was that we have received a lot of training and development in our own roles at GE Healthcare, Cork and this was an opportunity to contribute back to the local community.

You have delivered 2 training and development sessions with the staff of Cobh CC now, how did they go?Ita: The first program focused on leadership at the request of Frank O’ Donovan, Principal and Frances Murphy, a teacher with responsibility for training. This was a half day program which we ran in December 2010. In this program we looked at emotional and social intelligence in the context of leadership and

teaching. It was very successful as we brought in an expert to deliver the training and we shared some business scenarios with the teachers. We very much took the approach of learning by doing and sharing experiences as the staff of Cobh CC are very experienced and professional and this was an opportunity to highlight business challenges and facilitate discussions.

The second program was delivered in Feb 2011 and focused on effective meeting skills. This was a short program which we delivered ourselves to develop and revise good meeting skills practice and shared our own experiences. Again, this was effective and enjoyable for all involved. On both programs we invited a small cross functional group of employees from GE Healthcare to facilitate and share experiences

and everyone really enjoyed both seminars.

What were the benefits for you and the colleagues who took part?Ita: All of the teachers we met were highly professional and very welcoming. It was challenging to go into a new environment, especially initially, as we really wanted to develop a good relationship with the school. Therefore, this was a real learning by doing moment for us. We worked closely with Celine, Frank and Frances to ensure we understood their requirements and delivered to their objectives. We got a real understanding and appreciation of the challenges teachers face, and their students’ needs. We developed some great insights / and ideas on how to promote inclusiveness and engagement which teachers have

The staff team at Cobh CC with Ita Gubbins, GE Healthcare

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Management Excellence for Teachers

been developing in the classroom for years.

We found that activities where we partner with the local community are opportunities to develop and challenge our talented employees. There is also a team building effect generated from working on these projects. There is always something to learn from organisations working in the community.

How do you see the future for this type of training in schools?Ita: The key point is that this is an example of a business partnering with a school. There are learnings, development and takeaways on both sides.

Frances Murphy is the teacher who has taken the lead in staff development implementing any actions arising from the seminars. Here Frances shares Cobh CC’s

experience of MET.Frances, how was the interaction with business received at the school?Frances: I would like to see the MET programme developed so that it would form an integral part of our school development planning on an ongoing basis. The sharing of information and skill sets between the business and educational sectors can benefit everyone concerned. The economic recovery of our country will be highly reliant on these sectors. If the personnel are sharing methodologies, information and skill sets they are better enabled to prepare young people for the world of work. I would highly recommend the programme.

Cobh CC is very progressive in designating you to lead on staff training and development, how do you see the future for MET?

Frances: Feedback we received after each session was extremely positive. The staff can automatically see the great benefits from engaging with this type of progressive programme. Our involvement with the GE Healthcare team has left us feeling reenergized and better prepared to face the challenges ahead. I look forward to working with everyone again in the coming school year. Frank Donovan, Principal at Cobh CC, wholeheartedly welcomed the initiative from the outset, how did he rate the relationship with GE Healthcare?Frances: The relationship could be best described as friendly, open and very constructive. The models that apply in the business setting can easily be adapted to meet the challenges faced in the education sector. Congratulations to all concerned.

Company School TopicAbbott Templemichael College, Longford Personal Quality & Time ManagementAlza St Ailbe’s, Tipperary CommunicationAnalog Devices Sexton Street CBS, Limerick School Vision & Workplace ChallengesBose Inver College, Carrickmacross Communications & TeamworkCarlow CoCo Carlow VS, Carlow Strategic Vision & Effective CollaborationCook Ireland Ardscoil Mhuire, Limerick Goal Setting & Time / Stress ManagementDMG Caritas College, Dublin 10 LeadershipESB Pobalscoil Rosmini, Dublin 9 Personal Leadership & MotivationFexco Killorglin CC, Kerry Goal Setting & Time ManagementGE Healthcare Cobh CC, Cork Emotional Intelligence & The Leader WithinGE Healthcare Cobh CC, Cork Effective MeetingsIntegra Tullamore College, Offaly Positivity, Motivation & Situation ManagementKPMG CBS Westland Row, Dublin 2 Mission & FocusLionBridge Technologies

St. Tiernan’s, Ballina

Leadership for Everyone & Conflict Resolution

Microsoft St. Tiernan’s, Dublin 16 TeamworkMusgrave Pobalscoil Neasain, Dublin 13 ValuesPepsiCo St. Vincent’s SS, Cork Change Management: Adapting & LeadingUniversity of Ulster Deele College, Donegal The Principles of Persuasion

Skills @ Work

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St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar and M&S, Letterkenny have been engaged in partnership for the past three years and each year students are given the opportunity to develop by embracing a practical challenge that not only facilitates an insight into the world of work but brings them firmly into the midst of company operations to deliver on innovation, teamwork, personal skills, research, planning and organisational skills with close attention to deadlines.

The first session this year was the site visit to the store, students were split into three groups for the tour and each group was given a question to consider, relative to the operational development of the store. This transformed the site visit from a casual information session into a real-life workplace scenario. Double chocolate cookies were on hand to stimulate the brain cells and provide much needed sustenance for our innovators!

The students were advised that they would be presenting their ideas to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ type panel subsequent to the planning and support sessions built into the programme. This innovative approach has been devised and delivered by the M&S team in Letterkenny, Sheila Clancy O’Donnell as the main coordinator working with Sandra Kee, both Section Managers, with Angela Doherty, Joy Porter and PJ Walsh all contributing greatly

to the programme combined with positive and enthusiastic participation and commitment given by Kate McCorkell, Store Manager. The energy and dedication awarded to Skills @ Work most definitely mirrors the high levels of motivation and attitudes towards their roles within M&S and is tangible in the delivery of the programme.

Students are selected by the school placing a group of around 18 – 20 students from 5th year into a specific Skills @ Work class. There is emphasis on placing a comprehensive mix of varying academic abilities together with the proviso and hope that each student selected will benefit enormously from participation. This provides quite a challenging model from the commencement of the link, as timetabling of classes and allocating teacher time can be troublesome. In the

case of St. Columba’s College, this is made to work. There are two highly motivated and dedicated school coordinators. Siobhan Diver, Business Teacher and Eithne Sproule, Guidance and Business Teacher, who share this role successfully, combining together to deliver with flair and enthusiasm in order to support the students, adding enormous value to the programme. Key also to the success of the link is the much appreciated support and guidance of Maeve Scully, Principal and Deputy Principal, John Dowd.

The potential for real-life experience and growth for the students is immense. We were privileged to participate with the students in the presentation of three fantastic innovative ideas delivered by organised teams of students who would have given any ‘Dragon’s Den’ contestant a good run for their money.

This is not just Good - It’s M&S GoodSkills @ Work programmes around the country are encouraged to be organic, driven by our

enthusiastic partnerships between schools and companies. St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar and M&S, Letterkenny raise the bar on this relationship each year is a link with a very

interesting and highly effective approach writes Elaine McFadden

Team ‘Angela’ with an M&S barrow as part of a coffee shop pitch!

Skills @ Work

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Together is Better! Telfonica Ireland and St. Joseph’s CBS

Breda O’Sullivan, Regional Coordinator describes the innovative partnership between Telefonica Ireland and St. Joseph’s CBS.

Jonnie Cahill, Marketing Director, Yann Ricourt, Senior HR Business Partner, Telefonica O2 Ireland with James Daly and Conor Grassick, St Jospeh’s CBS, Fairview.Since the formation of the link in 2007, St. Joseph's CBS, Fairview and Telefonica O2 Ireland have been getting to understand what each has to offer and developing a committed and very beneficial partnership as a result. We asked the company and school to share their thoughts on the partnership and the programme.

School coordinator, Ciarán O’Callaghan explains, “We are very fortunate to work with a young, vibrant company that relates to 'Joeys' students in an engaging and interesting manner, providing them with excellent opportunities and experiences. Through the 'Day in the Life' and 'Site Visit' sessions, pupils have met with employees from a wide variety of departments within O2. This has enabled them to gain an insight into areas as

diverse as technology, human resources, marketing, retail and many more. The 'CV Sessions' and 'Mock Interviews' have improved students CV's immensely, giving them the confidence and ability to sit interviews and providing them with information and guidance in pursuing particular career paths. O2 have also provided employment opportunities to some students. In June, one of our current 5th Year pupils, James Daly, will begin a summer work placement in O2's retail sector.

The link with O2 has been of great benefit to the school and students of St. Joseph's and we deeply appreciate the time and effort given by O2 employees and in particular the co-ordinator, Elaine O'Donnell. The experience this link provides to our students is invaluable and long may it

continue”.

Elaine O’Donnell, HR Analyst and company coordinator outlines how the company benefits from participation, “The Schools Business Partnership programme gives employees a real opportunity to make an impact in the lives of young people. It allows employees to take time out from their day to day work and use the skills and knowledge that they have gained to help prepare students for the professional world. This is one of the main elements that attracted Telefonica O2 Ireland to this programme.

The partnership between St. Joseph’s Boys School and Telefonica O2 Ireland is a testament to how this programme can really aid the development of both students and employees. Through the partnership you can really see the students develop as they go through the different stages of the programme and it’s great to be able to offer students a summer placement in our Retail Stores. Telefonica O2 Ireland employees regularly ask to get involved as there is a real sense of satisfaction and fulfilment to know that the work that you are doing could possibly help shape the future of a student. We are looking forward to many more years of the partnership with St. Josephs.”

Skills @ Work

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Food and facilities management provider Sodexo Ireland linked up with Terence MacSwiney CC last autumn and the results have been delicious! The 5th year LCA students particpating in the program were all studying home economics and quite a few were interested in catering as a career.

Sodexo manages staff restaurants and support services for business, healthcare and government clients throughout Ireland, employing 2,000 people based in 200 site locations nationwide. Billy Perkins, account director for Sodexo in Munster together with HR manager Eleanor Nash and HR executive Sarah Murphy first came to the school in October 2010. They came bearing exotic fruits and vegetables for the students to sample and presented cookery books for quiz prizes. Once the students realised that the session wasn’t going to be a bush tucker trial, they were happy to try mangos, avocados and other goodies whilst finding out a bit more about professional catering in Ireland.

The students also had a field trip to GlaxoSmithKline in Ringaskiddy where Sodexo manages the large staff restaurant and a range of support services like cleaning and waste management. The students were very interested in the helpdesk used to manage the external personnel and activities necessary for the smooth running

of such a large and complex pharmaceutical site. As well as an inside view of corporate catering on a large scale, the students learned about hygiene, health and safety and listened to career talks from some of Sodexo staff based in GSK. One item that really grabbed their attention was the device which scanned people’s hands to check for bacteria – it showed the difference between hands that were properly washed and those that weren’t. Everyone (including the teachers!) tried it out and was amazed at the ‘before’ and ‘after’ results.

Eleanor Nash and Sarah Murphy returned to the school the following month to show the students how to put together a CV and prepare for job interviews. They also conducted mock interviews and both students and teachers particularly loved

A winning combination – Sodexo and Terence MacSwiney

Food and facilities management provider and Terence MacSwiney CC in Cork City prove to be a winning combination writes Celine McGrath, Coordinator

Jamie Mason, Terence MacSwiney CC with Billy Perkins, Sodexo

this exercise. The quality of the interviews impressed the professionals, there was a prize on offer and it was a tough choice, but Jamie Mason won the day for his exceptional performance. Billy Perkins was also able to arrange for some of the students to undertake a day’s work experience at various sites.

Billy and his catering team returned to the school in April 2011 and this time the students were doing the cooking. School co-ordinator Ingrid O’Riordan said afterwards that the students had been looking forward to hosting their guests all week, the room was dressed and the table laid hours before everyone was due to arrive and as for the food.......well, the industry experts were more than impressed. The delicious warm scones, apple tart and chocolate biscuit cake were freshly made that morning and excellently presented. It was a lovely way to say thank you to Sodexo for all their work over the year.

“Over the course of the year, we spent five days with the students and really enjoyed our time with them,” said Billy Perkins. “The students were very enthusiastic, willing to learn and from what we could see, the most popular activities were the field trip to GSK and the mock interviews run by our HR team. We hope these positive experiences will really stand to them in their future working lives.”

S@W & Mentoring

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Diageo Ireland and James’s Street C.B.S – a vintage partnership!

Breda O’Sullivan, Regional Coordinator describes the unique approach taken by Diageo Ireland and St. James Street CBS as part of their Schools’ Business Partnership link.

The partnership between Diageo Ireland and James’s Street C.B.S, one of the first links in the Schools’ Business Partnership portfolio, brings together a company and school, steeped in the history of old Dublin. With almost ten years experience to draw on, they have developed a very strong and committed relationship which continues to develop each year. The positive experience has also generated a second Dublin partnership for Diageo who are matched with Presentation Secondary School Warrenmount for the past four years.

Since its inception, the company had provided a one-year mentoring programme to leaving certificate students. This year, after discussion at the planning meeting, it was agreed to change the format and offer an 8 week programme in the first term of sixth year.

Combining elements from the Skills @ Work and Mentoring programmes, the 9 students and 8 mentors were matched and subsequently worked together on tasks such as team-building, presentation skills, CV preparation and mock interviews.

The final session saw students and their mentors compete for ‘the grand prix” in a keenly contested race in the Kylemore Karting arena, Ballyfermot.

It was wonderful to hear the positive feedback provided by the students in a PowerPoint presentation which they compiled for the wrap up session.

“My experience has been very positive. At first I was nervous, didn’t know what to expect but at the first meeting my mentor put me at ease and we got off to a great start”. Also, “We did a team building exercise where we worked together with our mentors. We were divided in half and built a bridge and this showed us how to work to a deadline, have leadership, work on a project and work together”.

Feedback from the mentors mirrored the students’ positivity as Joe O’Donnell explained ”Having been involved for the last four years, I can say that the School Mentoring programme is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding projects in my professional career.... As well as developing the skills of the students, it has been a tremendous assistance in developing my own abilities”.

Anne-Marie Murphy, who coordinates the programme for Diageo adds “The students benefitted from the experience of the mentors and the mentors developed their leadership and team building skills. Ultimately both the students and mentors are winners as they thoroughly enjoyed the experience”.

Students and Mentors complete a team challenge

”Having been involved for the last four years, I can say that the School Mentoring programme is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding projects in my professional career.”

Joe O’ DonnellMentor

Mentoring

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Mentoring Celebration 2011109 Students and 100 Mentors from 10 different schools and companies throughout Ireland gathered at the Clock Tower in the Department of Education & Skills in Dublin to celebrate

the successful completion of The Student Mentoring Programme.

Tina Roche, CEO BITCI, Ross Kennedy, Minister for Education & Skills, Ruairi Quinn, Ruth Norris, IL&P, Glen Russell and Germaine Noonan, SBP Programme Manager at the Mentoring Celebration 2011

The Schools’ Business Partnership began with a simple conversation when Joe Kennedy from the School Completion Progamme asked BITCI Chair Steve Costello, Head of M & S in Ireland back in 2000 if business could help school retention. Steve thought it was a fantastic idea! That idea developed into an initiative in which 163 schools nationwide are matches with business partner working with students, teachers and school management.

The Student Mentoring Programme is just one of the initiatives offered by The Schools’ Buisiness Partnership over the last decade. The programme encourages students who are at risk of leaving school early to continue with their studies with the advice of a mentor at a local business. The students meet their mentors at their workplace for an hour every 3 weeks for the final two years of their post primary schooling. Mentors provide support in terms of discussing career options, networking on their behalf, researching college choices and much more!

This year’s Student Mentoring Programmes ended on a high note at the Mentoring Celebration in The ClockTower, Marlborough Street, Dublin. 109 students and their 100 business mentors were presented with certificates by Minister for Education & Skills, Ruairi Quinn TD on completion of their Mentoring Programme.

The students enthusiasm for the programme was evident when Eoin Cahill, St. Tiernan’s Community School, Dublin 16 took to the podium. Eoin said, “ My mentor Lucca was a great help to me. Over the years we have developed a friendship and I was able to talk to him about decisions I faced in the future. Though the Mentoring Programme wasn’t all serious - there was fun to be had as well. At Christmas, the students and mentors went ice-skating together and this was a great opportunity to see our mentors fall!”

Rebecca Griffin, Presentation Secondary School, Warrenmount provided a great insight into the benefits of the programme for her. Rebecca said. “One thing we learned about ourselves is that we are a lot more confident about the career paths we have chosen

because all of us in our own way were apprehensive about the future.”

Speaking at the event, Minister Quinn said, “The Schools’ Business Partnership has seen enormous success since its founding in 2001. It is an exemplar programme for many other EU countries that are trying to harness the powerful impacts that can arise when businesses partner with schools and the education system. It is important that students understand the strong relationship between what they learn in school and the outside working world. Success in school has a direct impact on the number of choices available to students upon completion of their education and this programme helps to bring that reality into focus for many students.”

Mentoring

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School CompanyBlakestown CS, Dublin 15 Blanchardstown ITCBS Westland Row, Dublin 2 KPMGDeele College, Co. Donegal Donegal CreameriesGrange CC, Dublin 13 Cadbury IrelandPatrician College, Finglas, Dublin 11 Irish Life & PermanentPresentation SS Warrenmount, Dublin 8 Diageo IrelandRingsend Technical Institute, Dublin 4 Cisco SystemsSt. Dominic’s SS, Ballyfermot Allianz Worldwide CareSt. Tiernan’s CS, Balally, Dublin 16 MicrosoftUrsuline SS, Cork Musgrave Retail Partners

Nathan O’Connor, Patrician College, Finglas & Jeff Kelly, Irish Life & Permanent

Jessie Delaney, Presentation SS, Warrenmount, Dublin 8 & Karen McHugh, Diageo Ireland

Congratulations to the 10 Schools & 10 Companies who completed The Student Mentoring Programme in 2011!

Eoin Speight, a former mentee and current employee with Irish Life & Permanent shares his experience of The Student Mentoring Programme.

View the short clip by clicking here

Stephen Kiernan, Grange CC, Dublin 13 & Aine Cregan, Cadbury Ireland

Lucian Vasii, CBS Westland Row, Dublin 2 & Niall Savage, KPMG

Conor Mcglinchet, Deele College, Donegal & Edith Marley, Donegal Creameries

Nicola McKeown, Ringsend Technical Institute, Dublin 4 & Cisco Systems

Ciara Byrne, St. Dominic’s SS, Ballyfermot & Claire Cusack, Allianz Wordlwide Care

Simone Ryan, St. Tiernan’s CS, Balally, Dublin 16 & Ellen O’Neil, Microsoft

Glenn Leahy, Blakestown CS, Dublin 15 & Rachel Dockrel Blanchardstown IT

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Diary of...Diary of a Mentor

The Student Mentoring Programme provides Irish students with an amazing opportunity over the course of their final two years in school to draw on the tremendous experience,

expertise and support of a mentor from the world of business. David Butler from Microsoft is one of 900 mentors who have particpated in the programe In this article, he shares his

experience as a Mentor to Stephen Cahill from St. Tiernan’s SS, Dublin.

David Butler, Microsoft

I got involved in the Student Mentoring Program to give something back. I attended St. Tiernan’s many years ago - too many too mention! Along the way I had many mentors to advise me on the right path. I was fortunate to have a family, teachers and friends who had an real interest in me and supported me along the way. I was also mature enough to listen and act on most of their advice. I wanted to mentor a student, to share what worked for me and what didn’t when I was their age. I didn’t want to be a preacher - I wanted to be able to connect with them on a personal level and help in whatever way I could.

I had some reservations that I wouldn’t gel with my student, Stephen. Fortunately this was not the case! From the get go, we got on well and this made the meetings easier for me and the student. We always had a

quick lunch and a chat before we completed any activities.

The high point for me was seeing Stephen grow in confidence throughout the two years and broaden his horizons on his potential future career. Stephen was always quietly confident and I was most impressed in year 2 when he did a fantastic presentation on Mixed Martial Arts. He had invested a great deal of time into his PowerPoint presentation and his delivery was flawless. It made me reflect when I had to present for the first time in front of a group and didn’t do as well!

When I met Stephen for the first time he was certain he was going to do a particular job that required him not to go to college. Similar to myself at his age I didn’t want to go to college for 3 or 4 years. I wanted to start earning money straight away. We discussed the economic situation and his ability to get any job without a 3rd level qualification in this high competitive environment. I am glad to report that he has applied for a 3rd level Course and

I am confident he will achieve the required points to start in September.I really enjoy the sessions and actually look forward to them throughout the year. We did a variety activities together including preparing a CV, researching college courses and the potential jobs that the courses would lead to and presentation skills. I also asked people from different departments to give him an overview of their role in Microsoft as well as bringing him to some of my team meetings to get a sense of a day in the life of a multinational. Throughout, I shared with him my experience and challenges of school, college and work.

We also had a lot of fun along the way! Stephen had great fun seeing me fall a lot when we went ice-skating. We had our annual football match in May and it is with some sadness that I have to report that the students won back the trophy this year but there is always next year!

As a result of my experience with this programme for the last two years, I am encouraging my team to get involved! Our 17/18 year olds are the future leaders of this country and investing time in them to ensure they stay in the education system and reach their full potential is to all our benefit.

”The highpoint for me was seeing Stephen grow in confidence throughout the two years and broaden his horizons on his potential future career.”

Time to Read

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Learning in the Library with Scoil Mhuire Fatima, Cork and Bord Gáis

Blackpool Library, Cork played host to ten excited pupils from Scoil Mhuire Fatima and their reading volunteers from Bord Gáis as part of their Time to Read Library Visit.

Bord Gáis staff volunteers recently accompanied students from Scoil Mhuire Fatima on a visit to Blackpool Library as part of ‘Time to Read’, the reading support pilot programme run by The Schools’ Business Partnership and generously funded by the Bord Gáis Foundation. The programme aims to increase the confidence and enjoyment of reading for children. Volunteers act as reading mentors to primary school children around the age of seven or eight and Scoil Mhuire is one of 6 pilot schools across the country taking part in this innovative national project.

As part of the structure of the programme, students from each of the six schools visit their local library with their reading volunteers from the company with which they have partnered. Speaking

at the library visit at Blackpool Library, Conn Higgins, Principal, Scoil Mhuire Fatima outlined ‘The impact the programme has had on the children to date is excellent in terms of changing their perception of reading and their attitude towards developing the skill. This programme is unique in that it does not primarily focus on ‘teaching’ the children to read nor does it provide specialised reading assistance but instead supports children who are developing their reading ability to relate reading with opportunity and enjoyment’.

Bord Gáis and its participating volunteers are delighted with the success of the programme to date. Seeing the children’s obvious interest in books during the library visit, John Mullins, CEO, Bord Gáis said ‘To date the feedback from students, teachers, parents and volunteers involved with Time

to Read at Scoil Mhuire Fatima clearly indicates the success of this programme in supporting the participating students’ approach to reading. This activity positively influences students’ attitude towards reading and builds the association of enjoyment with books as well as developing students’ confidence in their reading ability. Not only are the benefits evident in students’ growing enthusiasm for books but are also clear to see in the nurturing of imagination and the sense of wonderment and ultimately in personal development. The ability to read is important but equally so is gaining enjoyment, satisfaction and fun in the book at hand’.

During the library visit, facilitated by library personnel, students learnt how to become a member of a library and how the library system works in terms of layout, finding a book, registering the book to be borrowed, and returning the book. ‘Story Time’ also featured as did an introductory session to other services provided by the library. As the programme continues, volunteers and students will continue to meet on a weekly basis to share some reading time.

During May and June students will participate in a workplace visit of the business they are partnered with. Bord Gáis and its staff are excited about the upcoming visit which will hopefully reinforce that reading is an essential tool which can reap many rewards.

John Mullins, Head of Bord Gáis with Adam Conway, Endurance Billy and Conor Higgins, Scoil Mhuire Fatima, Cork at their library visit

It’s a Wrap!

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Wrapping Up Skills @ Work Wrap Up Sessions are on opportunity for students to show their partnered company what

they have learned during the year and how Skills @ Work has benefitted them. From presentations to poems, animation to artwork, the wrap up session is a highlight of the

partnership!

Deele College and Donegal Creameries present...

Paddy and Connor's

Classey Massey

Here comes farmer JoeBy God he's far from show

He has a wee cow called MaiseWho is very good friends with Daisy

They milk all day from June to MayHis milk is creamy we all say

They say the rumblers is quite fineI must agree it's quite divine

She drank Donegal Creameries little Goldie LocksShe also enjoys eating chef in a box

No need to panicThey have made some oraganic

And it's being sold across the atlanticThey don't play black ops

But they own some co-opsSelling farm food

To a farmer called JudeThey say he's classy

Coz he rolls in a MasseyAnd he sells their milk to the sliver tassey

They use it in there tayThat's all I have to sayThank you for listening

Have a good day"

St. Michaels Holy Faith, Finglas & Coca Cola

Students from Greenhills College, Dublin 12 presented Dulux with a painting of the Dulux Dog at their wrap up session.

Crana College, Buncrana & Inishowen Engineering

Bishopstown CS, Cork & Assurant Services Wrap Up Session

Colaiste Bride and Sisk Healthcare present...

The Sisk Song / Rap

You all work in SiskYou like to take the riskTo come into our school

You ain’t no fools

Workin for the business communityGivin us opportunities

So we’d like to say thanksHelp put money in our banks

You told us what to do At an interview

You helped us make CV’sSo we could suceed in LCVP

You helped plant the seedThe knowledge that we need

Lots of love, Colaiste Bride

LCVP Class 2010 / 2011

It’s a Wrap!

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St. Davids, Dublin 5 & Cornmarket

O’Fiach College, Dundalk & Horseware Ireland Wrap Up Session

Tarbert Comprehensive School, Kerry & Endesa

Marion Foley from Musgraves and Aine O’Dea teacher with 5th Years from Ursulines, Cork

DHL & Trinity Comprehensive, Dublin 9Students from Causeway Comprehensive, Kerry presented this Robot Animation during their wrap up session with the Kerryman Newspaper. Click on the image to see the clip on search ‘Kerryman 125”

Meet the Students

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Describe your favourite part of the Skills @Work or Mentoring Programme

From mock interviews to site visits, students share their favourite experiences of the 2010 / 2011 Skills @ Work and Mentoring Programmes.

My class and I participated in Skills at Work with Teva Pharmaceuticals in Waterford. I found it interesting and enjoyable. We got to go on a site visit to a

big factory. This was great as I had never seen what the inside of a factory was like or how it was run. We met people who worked in various departments in this company and we learned about their jobs. We got to do aptitude tests. After that we did interviews, this was my favourite part as we learned how to prepare for interviews and then we had to put our newly learned skills and knowledge into practice. I was very nervous and excited before the interviews. The best thing about the aptitude tests and interviews was that we got individual feedback afterwards which meant we could learn from this experience. The entire programme was great. Jack McGrath, Mount Sion C.B.S. Waterford partnered with Teva Pharmaceuticals

I found the Skills @ Work programme with Limerick IT very enjoyable and interesting. For most people to learn about the different jobs and careers in each differeny business, it is a great opportunity. It is also

a great opportunity to learn about future careers. I would recommend it to every student who is going to do the Leaving Cert. Kevin Purtill, St. Nessans CC, Limerick partnered with Limerick IT.

For me and my fellow St. Nessan’s s t u d e n t s , S k i l l s @ Work involves six trips over to Limerick IT, our partner organisation, with

our Guidance Counsellor. We walk there as it is so close to our school. On the 22nd March we faced the dreaded mock interview! We were terrified walking over and sitting down in the waiting room waiting to be called. Ms. Walsh and the GIVE volunteers helped calm our nerves and Ms. O’Sullivan was happy no one had a panic attack! Some students after the interview said "I didn't think it was that easy once you prepare for an interview" others said "the hardest question I thought was the tell me about yourself question". Anna gave us a voucher for tea and coffee and lovely biscuits which we all enjoyed afterwards. We got an interesting motivational talk about setting goals from Mr. Graham Royce for the April visit. We had our final BITC visit to LIT in May where we were told that Christina, Emma and Thomas came first for the jobs as they did so well in the mock interviews. They said we were the best group ever!! Mr O’Brien came over and he presented the certificates for completing the course. Lisa Roche, St. Nessans CC, Limerick partnered with Limerick IT.

Jessie: My favourite part of the Mentoring Programme with Diageo was getting confidence and going into the workplace and the trips were fun. I went to a

Barracks and we met the seargent and he brought us to where they held all the guns and he let me hold a sniper rifle. Rebecca: I liked going out to the different places we went to because it made me determined that I know what I want to do when I leave school. I know I want to work in the media. I went to Kiss Magazine and RTE Studios. We got to watch the Consumer Show being made and talk to the presenters. In Kiss we talked to the editor of the magazine and the staff writer. We also had a big huge breakfast in the Store House in Gravity Bar in Diageo. Jessie Delaney and Rebecca Griffin, Presentation SS, Warrenmount partnered with Diageo Ireland.

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Meet the Students‘I took part in the Skills @ Work programme with the pharmaceutical company élan Corporation along with a group of 5th year students. The

trip to élan was fantastic. We were first spoken to by workers at élan such as the planning manager and safety supervisor. Then we got into the main event, the tour. The group was split in two, we toured both the Research and Development sector of élan and the Manufacturing sector. It was interesting to not only see how élan operates, but also to learn about the products it manufactures. After our tour we got into the meat of the trip, literally! A tasty cooked lunch was provided by a chef in the kitchen adjacent to the boardroom. The trip certainly was a nice change from school and a good experience overall. Chris Ryan, St Aloysius College, Co. Westmeath partnered with élan.

The whole workshop with Integra was very interesting. The man that we spent most of our time with was Matt. He came to our school two or three times.

He interacted with all the students so well. The best time was when Matt visited to help us improve our CV. I found that I had a variety of skills and qualifications that I never knew I had. Matt showed us how to really sell ourselves and give us more credit than we usually would. Matt also showed us what a job description looked like. This really helped us because few in the class had seen one before. I want to thank Matt for his time and effort in helping us in so many areas. Corey Egan, Tullamore College partnered with Integra.

We really appreciated the experience and c o m m i t m e n t from State Street International and we have learned a great deal from

this experience. Gerry and Shane, from State Street taught us how to do a C.V properly including the correct layout and what to write with regards to your experience. The mock interview was good because we got an experience of what an interview was like. We also learned how to present ourselves at an interview e.g. dress neat and tidy. We liked going to State Street because we got to see the work life going on out in the world. We learned about the business. We also got showed how to do a formal handshake. We learned that we have to update our CV’S every 3months this was really interesting because we never heard that before. We thought we knew loads of stuff about business until Shane, Gerry and Margaret came in and taught us the various skills and attributes that were needed to be successful in an interview and in a business. This is a great program and we learned a lot from it. We would recommend it to any student to learn about what life is like outside school. 5th Year Students from Killkenny Vocational School

We liked the site visit to Alico. They brought us to the canteen, the boardroom, the coffee station, their desks and their own little cubby hole.

We were in the main lobby and we were allowed sit down and look at the flowers and talk to the man who worked in the desk. They showed us their mascot, Snoopy the Dog. Our favourtite part was the mock interviews because it was really helpful because we know what we need to do now when we leave school because Olga gave us more confidence. We know that it’s not that hard to go into an interview and there’s no point in being nervous because it’s just like your friend sitting beside you. When we were going in it was like we were going for a real job, there was no messing or anything. We learned to sit up straight and speak clear and loud. Students from St. Joseph’s SS Stanhope Street, Dublin 7 partnered with Alico

I enjoyed my mock interview with Paul Daly, Store Manager of Marks & Spencer, Killarney. I applied for the position of Chef. I would really love to cook and work in a kitchen with people. The first thing I learnt was that it is really important to firmly shake the Interviewer’s hand when you come into the room. During the interview, I tried to answer questions in full sentences and not just YES/NO answers! After I left the room, I felt great. Paul gave me great hints! Brandon Rybak, Killarney CC partnered with M&S Killarney

The Schools’ Business PartnershipBusiness in the Community Ireland

32 Lower O’ Connell Street | Dublin 101 8743809 | www.bitc.ie/sbp

The Schools’ Business PartnershipAdding value to the Department of Education & Skills 'School Completion Programme' The Schools’ Business Partnership aims to positively impact on educational inclusion in Ireland. The programme does this by matching one school with a large local business and engaging in various programmes. The number of schools currently matched nationally is 163. Through the Schools' Business Partnership a menu of programmes has been developed to address key educational issues for these schools across the country. Marks & Spencer Ireland have been the lead sponsor of the Schools' Business Partnership since its inception - a remarkable commitment.

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