Reaching New Heights with Industry Insights for Teachers
Monday, April 3rd, 2023
On a cold, bright, January morning a group of 20 science teachers and guidance counsellors assembled at the Thermo Fisher compound in Ireland’s pharmaceutical epicentre, Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, for an interactive morning on site. It was a pleasure for BITCI to bring these 2 groups together – IBEC consistently calls for greater education/industry collaboration and we know from experience that our educators value getting into industry and seeing for themselves how things are changing.
Thermo Fisher’s HR intern, Amy Keane, organised a morning that delivered on all fronts. We got an overview of the business and how the whole sector is evolving – new technology, new skills requirements, new routes into the sector. We met the apprenticeship team – Thermo Fisher have a strong apprenticeship programme (mechanical & instrumentation) and learned about their TY programme and how to access both. It was great to meet new engineers, fresh out of the education process, who proudly explained the complexities of the machinery they worked with and chemists developing single molecules into a tangible product for customers.
‘It’s important for us to get out of the classroom and see the real-world application of what we teach, this is very relatable to school students and teachers of chemistry’ said one Cork chemistry teacher.
Knowing the jobs available is just half the story, the tour gave us a greater insight into the different routes to Thermo Fisher, and the wider sector, and they are by no means all graduate roles. Career progression is staggering and there is no limit to how far, and in which direction, one can go – upskilling is actively encouraged and financially supported for everyone who is keen to grow.
For many of us, the stand out moment was getting the lift up to the roof top and walking round the 360 view point to see all the pharmaceutical sites in this world class hub, dominated by 3 giant windmills powering them. Sustainability is a huge priority here and evident everywhere you look, from biodiversity wetlands to EV charging points.
It was an excellent morning and time well spent for the teachers and our hosts, connections were made and email addresses exchanged – industry/education collaboration at its best. Thanks to everyone who made it happen!
If you are a business interested in hosting an Industry Insights session to share your knowledge with teachers in your local community, contact programme lead Celine McGrath at cmgrath@bitc.ie.
