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Company expert Noreen Doherty, Retail Manager in AIB Bank, Letterkenny lets us in on her area of expertise working on a unique partnership.
Q. What, in your opinion, are the key success factors leading to an effective Skills @ Work programme?
A. Adapting to the students level & speaking to them in a friendly but efficient manner. This way you get their interest and respect. I try my best to get to know their names and I think this helps communication both ways.
Q. How do you, personally, contribute to this?
A. I think I have a friendly manner & I can relate to the students having teenagers of my own. I also try to engage them in conversations relating to their own “out of school” activities.
Q. One fun fact about yourself!
A. “Gift of the Gab”!!!
Q. What are the benefits for you partaking in this programme?
A. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the “Skills @ Work” programme. This is my 2nd year at it and I have to say that it has opened my eyes as to the work/committment being put into these students by Errigal College especially Margaret Russell Kelly and Danny McFadden. I wish I was back at secondary school now! I really feel that the students that I have had on Programme have benefited greatly from it. You can see a big difference from meeting them on the first day until the “Wrap Up” day. They open up and their personalities come to the fore and they themselves will say that they enjoy it while learning. They also learn about AIB Bank and get a more in depth insight into Banking. As a technology based Bank now, it was of great interest to the students to see how they could operate their Bank Account from an Ipod or their phone. Only for this programme they may never have opened bank accounts or even been into a branch to see what services or products are available.
Q. What is your least favorite part of the programme?
A. I have to say that I am always sorry to arrive at the “Wrap Up” day. At this stage, I have gotten to know the students and developed an interest in them and the “Wrap Up” is signifying the end. Luckily for me, as we live in a relatively small community, I still get to meet these students from time to time and it great to catch up with them and see how they are getting on. Hopefully in years to come these students will come to AIB Bank for mortgages etc.
I also have to say that Elaine McFadden, Co-Ordinator of the Skills @ Work Programme has been a tremendous help to me in guiding me along the way. Without her I would have been lost.
