St. Oliver’s Teachers Visit Irish Cement

Monday, March 14th, 2016

Students from St. Oliver’s Community College in Drogheda have benefitted enormously from the link with nearby Irish Cement Ltd for the past eight years. Hundreds of LCA students have gained a unique insight into the word of work through the S @ W programme and a visit to the plant near Duleek is always a highlight.  The relationship deepened this year when a group of the teaching staff went on site for a tour and a Management Excellence for Teachers (MET) session on ‘Talent Management and Development’, designed and delivered by Irish Cement’s  Aileen Twibill.

The staff at St Oliver’s CC, one of the largest schools in the country, are an amazingly talented group with a diverse blend of new and experienced teachers. The session at the business brought a different dimension to traditional CPD and the opportunity to learn how a large local company nurtures their employees. It was also a great opportunity for both to share experience and anecdotes on how the different sectors respond to problems as well as opportunities. The session went down really well, as one attendee noted, ‘this is useful information which I can integrate into my teaching and a great boost to my confidence to be ambitious’.  Over 83% of the teachers reported that they would definitely adopt the principles and ideas that were outlined on the day and they all found the session and the visit very useful.

The session was recorded by RTE Radio 1 and featured on ‘The Business’ programme later that week – well deserved recognition for a great link and a truly innovative school and business.