Waterford College of Further Education celebrates College Awareness Week 2019
This Monday, 18th November, Waterford ETB hosted a Pathways to College event to celebrate the launch of College Awareness Week. WCFE students, St Paul’s Community College students, Waterford Training Centre apprenticeships/trainees and Tom Boyle (82), who recently graduated from Waterford Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English and Irish, joined forces to showcase routes and options in third-level and beyond.
Principal Noreen Reilly said, “We are delighted to be part of a nationwide campaign to promote the importance of post-secondary education. There are lots of options out there and College Awareness Week encourages people of all ages to consider further education as part of their future.”
CAW aims to inspire and inform all students about the importance of having a post-secondary education plan. It advocates for students to have the choice to pursue the course best suited to their interests, abilities and dreams, whether that is a PLC qualification, an apprenticeship or a university degree.
CAW is supported by the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals and the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. Many other organisations such as The National Parents Council Post-Primary, the Irish Union of Second Level Students and Irish Business Employers Confederation have backed the campaign.
The inaugural CAW in 2014, the first of its kind in Ireland, was a runaway success with over 350 events in locations including schools, higher educational institutes, community centres and libraries. Last year’s campaign saw over 1,700 events and approximately 170,000 participants. CAW 2019 is expected to bring even more participants on board, with events from Malin Head to Mizen Head and a strong focus on communities where participation in Higher Education remains below average.
This year CAW will enjoy strong support from the Union of Students of Ireland, after USI Congress voted in April to support the campaign and encourage student union representatives in all Higher Education institutions to become involved.
College Awareness Week gratefully acknowledges the sponsorship of Perrigo, the Higher Education Authority, Trinity College Dublin and Solas, the Further Education and Training Authority, and commends their dedication to the betterment of communities and Irish society through enhanced educational experiences.
