From astronaut training in NASA to experiencing the hustle and bustle of the European Parliament, the sky was the limit for almost 1500 students who entered this year’s AIB Future Sparks Career Skills Competition by CareersPortal.
And today the winners descended on Dublin as secondary school students, their families, teachers, and guidance counsellors gathered from across the country to attend the awards ceremony at the Clock Tower in the Department of Education.
The competition, which was open to all senior cycle students who have undertaken a work experience placement, was developed 14 years ago by Ireland’s award-winning and leading career guidance website CareersPortal. The competition encourages students to focus on the importance of career skills and understand the role these transferable skills can play in their future careers.
Close to 1500 students entered the competition this year and students could enter either in English or Irish through a written submission or Vlog entry. The 33 winning entries were selected from an impressive shortlist that included a diverse range of occupations from across all sectors which saw students working in microbiology labs, food production sites, game design, primary schools, hair salons and hotels to students lucky enough to gain work experience in NASA learning how to become an astronaut and a student who secured a trip to Strasbourg to experience becoming a Member of the European Parliament!
Aoibhín Collins, Coláiste Mhuire, Ennis beat stiff competition for the NO 1 spot in the Transition Year category for her winning career investigation and work experience in –Midwifery and Florist, Ciara Ennis also from Coláiste Muire received the Highly Commended prize for her career investigation into Sports Therapist and Dea Krasniqi from Coláiste Muire achieved Commended for her career investigation into Educational Psychologist.
The three award winners from Co Clare
Transition Year category – First place – Aoibhín Collins, Coláiste Mhuire, Ennis – Florist and Midwifery.
Transition Year category- Highly commended Ciara Ennis, Coláiste Muire, Ennis – Sport Physiotherapist
Transition Year category- Commended Dea Krasniqi, Coláiste Muire, Ennis
Each of the students in the winning categories won a MacBook Air laptop, those who came in 2nd place won Samsun Tablet and 3rd place students won Apple Air pods. There were also prizes for all those commended. The 4 winning schools came away with €1,000 for their school programmes.
The competition has seen a 30% increase in entries this year, reflecting the continued importance placed on work experience and career skills in second level education by teachers and students alike. Many students did their career investigations in career sectors such as Education, Law, and Healthcare but there was also an increased interest in STEM occupations such as Scientific Research, IT and Engineering. Other popular areas included Veterinary Medicine, Defence Forces/An Garda Síochána, Journalism, careers with languages and careers in Tourism and Hospitality.
The aim of the competition is to encourage independent career research among second level students and to foster an awareness on the importance of career skills developed as a result of completing a work experience placement. To compete, the students had to demonstrate their understanding of a chosen career, outline the education pathways that lead to it and explain the most relevant knowledge and the skills required. They also reflected on how their work experience might influence their future career and educational choices.
The Career Skills competition provides an invaluable platform for students to showcase the research and learning acquired during their placement. Students can research occupations, career sectors and course on www.careersportal.ie and can even find work experience placements advertised by different organisations.
Fiona Dunning, AIB Head of Customer and Community speaking at the ceremony congratulated the winning students “At AIB economic and social inclusion is one of the key pillars of our sustainability strategy. I am delighted AIB is again sponsoring the Careers Skills programme, with the competition aiming to promote the importance of work placement and career skills among second level students. These skills can be vital in setting students up for their future careers and can prove beneficial to their development. We wish all today’s winning students the very best of luck.”
Speaking at the event Eimear Sinnott, MD of CareersPortal, said: “Research has shown that while academic performance is important, the development of career skills can be an even greater indicator of future success in the world of work. Students need to understand this as early as possible so that they can work on recognising and developing these important life skills. It is fantastic to see that the occupations investigated this year continue to be so diverse and that the educational pathways investigated are also broad and included Apprenticeships, Traineeships, and courses in Further and Higher Education”.
While Sarah Dolly, Head of Tourism Careers, Fáilte Ireland when awarding the special prize to the top student in this category commented “Tourism offers many exciting and rewarding career options across a range of sectors, in an industry that offers flexibility and lots of progression opportunities. Tourism allows for a career to suit your lifestyle and pursue your passions, while developing key skills and competencies such as teamwork, time management and effective communication skills. Fáilte Ireland are delighted to facilitate students to engage with tourism businesses across the county to secure quality work experience placements via our Work Experience portal on TourismCareers.ie. Congratulations to all students who submitted an entry in the Tourism Category for Career Skills 2024.”
Karen Ruddock, Director Post-Primary Languages Ireland, speaking at the awards ceremony about the importance of language skills said “The Career Skills competition highlights the multifaceted careers available to today’s young people, and we are delighted to be involved again this year. Languages are the cornerstone of global enterprise, serving as the bridge between cultures and markets. As we navigate an increasingly interconnected world, it is paramount that our students are equipped with the skills necessary to be able to compete and thrive in diverse professional landscapes. Foreign language learning also supports the development of transversal skills, skills which employers are looking for such as the ability to communicate well and across cultures, superior divergent thinking skills and empathy, shaping a brighter future for all”.