100 senior cycle secondary school students from Presentation Secondary, CBS Sexton St, Desmond College Newcastle West and Comeragh College Carrick-on-Suir were invited to Limerick Institute of Technology as part of Junior Achievement Ireland Future Skills project supported by Limerick Institute of Technology Access Service. Future Skills comprises two phases and encourages students to complete secondary education and aim for a third level qualification.

During the LIT visit the students completed two workshops and with the assistance of volunteers from GE Capital Aviation Services, Dell and Certus they explored employment opportunities centred around a selection of courses and examined ways to build their self confidence in order to assist them to succeed in their future careers. An extensive tour was given by current students of LIT where the visitors got to see the college and its numerous facilities.

Anna Murphy, Access Project Officer commented, “LIT continually strives to support and develop educational opportunities, which contribute to an improvement in the economic, social and cultural well-being of our region. LIT Access Service was proud to support the Future Skills project and witness first-hand the immense potential of these students.”

“Our students thoroughly enjoyed today’s visit to LIT For many it was their first time to visit the college. The careers workshop was extremely informative, linking the student’s individual skills and interest to college and career paths. They also learned about the importance of self-confidence in relation to future success. The guided tour was extremely beneficial as the students saw first-hand the workings of the college and interacted with current students from LIT,” said Siobhan Kelly, teacher, Desmond College, Newcastle West.