Inside this issue

Refocus

Student Universal

Support Ireland

City North College

Courses Update

Skills Sampling

Your Future - What

Next?

CCAGS Contact Details

In Summary

Free

Confidential

Impartial

Information

Education

Options

Career Choices

WELCOME

To the Cork City Adult Guidance Service’s (CCAGS) summer newsletter which keeps you informed about our service and developments in adult education in Cork city.

Community Group Guidance and Information REFOCUS

Project Refocus is a youth Employment

Programme funded by the Department

of Social Protection (DSP) which

includes a three year commitment to the

young individuals who participate. The

programme provides them with skills,

training, personal development and

other necessary supports all of which

are designed to lend them into

mainstream training and education or

employment. To date many young

people who would be at risk of long term unemployment have successfully

participated on the course. Course participants access the guidance service

both during and after the programme receiving guidance, advice and

information about education options going forward and supports available

in the city. Currently the guidance service support Refocus in

Mahon, Mayfield, Farranree and Turners Cross. To access Project Refocus

please contact your local DSP office for more information.

Information sessions have been provided to a number of agencies and

outreach locations during the last 6 months including the Cork Jobs Club,

Mayfield CALP, Employability Cork, Abode, Local Employment Services, Cork

Prison Education Centre, CIT

Mature Student Office, Clonakilty

Resource Centre and Cork City

Libraries.

Access CCAGs information service

during the service’s drop in hours:

Monday & Tuesday 2.30-4.30pm;

Wednesday & Thursday 10-12noon. If

you are looking for information on

adult education and supports available

please contact Claire, Information

Officer, on 021 490 7149.

Newsletter: Summer 2012 Volume 4, Issue 1

INFORMATION

Library, 22 South Mall

Breada Ryan Long, Refocus Co-ordinator,

with the Mayfield Refocus group

Social Media

Information on

educational

courses, careers,

news announcements and

relevant events are posted on

our Facebook page daily. If you

are an educational provider or

agency working with

individuals who are

unemployed and would like

information posted on our

Facebook page please contact

Claire, Information Officer, on

021 490 7149 or email:

cnagle@corkvec.ie .

To be keep up to date with

developments in adult

education become a ‘FAN’ of

our Facebook page at

www.facebook.com/

corkadultguidance.

Student Universal Support Ireland

City North College

A new ONLINE ONLY

student grant application

system has been introduced

for the 2012/2013 academic

year and is due to be in

operation by 11th June 2012.

All NEW applications will be made online to a

single awarding authority, Student Universal

Support Ireland (SUSI), a unit of City of Dublin VEC

through www.studentfinance.ie. To handle email

and telephone calls in relation to any questions

about the system and the application form there is

a SUSI support desk. In the event that a student is

unable to do an online application all they need to

do is contact the SUSI support desk and they will be

referred to the nationwide SUSI Mentoring

Network. The SUSI support desk is available from

9.00am-10.00pm Monday to Friday and from

9.00am - 6.00pm on Saturday. In addition to the

support desk there is a Facebook page at

www.facebook.comsusisupport.

For more information please see

www.studentfinance.ie. Contact details of the

SUSI support desk are Tel: 0761 087874 or

email: support @susi.cdvec.ie

2

Northside Campus in Hollyhill has changed its name to

CityNorth College of Further Education. In a ceremony that

took place recently and which included the launch of a new

website, the College announced its full-time Further

Education courses for 2012-13. Part of the City of Cork VEC, the college is

situated in Hollyhill alongside Terence MacSwiney Community College.

According to Principal, Willie McAuliffe, the new name and logo maintains

the College’s identity with the north side of the city where the majority of the

students live, but also emphasises the global importance of education and

that, with the right qualifications, ‘the world is your oyster’.

The College prides itself on its commitment to offering the highest standards

of education in a supportive, friendly, and inclusive environment where each

student is encouraged and facilitated to develop their potential and achieve

their goals.

CityNorth College offers a variety of awards at FETAC Level 5 and 6 that

provide participants with the knowledge and skills to enter the job market

immediately or to progress to further studies. Courses available include

Caring for the Elderly, Hairdressing, Contact Centre Operations, and

Warehousing Skills among others.

CityNorth College has developed links with local employers who are keen to

engage with students by providing information sessions and facilitating

company visits with the opportunity for employment. For further

information please see www.citynorthcollege.ie or Tel: 021 439 1782/ 439

7740

Summer Skills Sampling Programme-St. John’s

Central College

The skills sampling

programme, which is open to individuals on a welfare payment, is a sample of

courses which include some of the following exciting subjects:

Interior Design/AutoCad and Computer Maintenance for those interested in computers and system architecture. FETAC Level 3 Computer Literacy and Level 4 Information technology Skills are also included.

Option B includes a new module, Be Ready for the Workplace which has been included to cater for beginners and introduces Basic Computers, Interview Techniques and Presentation Skills.

Option J: Digital Boot-camp which includes Social Media Marketing/Blogging as well as Movie, Photo and Audio Content.

Option F: Creative 3D Design for Tomorrows’ World, and Option I: Visual Communication Design for Print are back again.

The popular components option G: Craft Skills classes focus on Mosaic Tiling as well as Woodcraft.

Option H: Web Design balances the creative with the technological skills using Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver

The programme will be running in

July. For more information contact: Eleanor Coughlan on

Tel: 021 4225550 or email:

ecouglan@stjohnscollege.ie.

Course Information Update

FETAC 5 Component Certificate in Substance Use Issues in Youth &

Community Work - is funded by HSE and delivered in the Cork College of

Commerce. The course covers the following two modules: Communications

& Young People and Substance Use. Each module will cost €50. Applicants

must be over 21 years and attend a taster session on 11th September.

Interviews will be held on 13th September. The course will be delivered

every Tuesday from 7-10pm and the closing date for applications is on 19th

August. For more information please contact Jacqueline Daly on 021 430

2310 or Ann Corcoran on 021 422 2100.

Support Training and Enterprise Programme (STEP) - delivered by

YMCA will run over 43 weeks from Sept 2012 to the end of June 2013.

Modules offered will include Career Planning, Work Experience,

Communications, Team Work, Intercultural Studies, Functional Maths,

Customer Relations among others. The course is open to young people

between 17-25 yrs and priority is given to individuals without a Leaving

Cert/ full FETAC Level 4 award and without stable employment. Closing

date for application is June 22nd. For more information Tel: 021 427 0187.

FETAC 5 Food, Catering and Hospitality Studies - The Cork College of

Commerce is offering this new course over 1 academic year. The course will

equip the learner with the necessary knowledge and skills to help them

build a successful career in the food and hospitality sector, which is one of

today’s fastest growing industries. Successful students may

progress to further courses in CIT, IT Tralee, DIT Cathal Brugha St., GMIT.

For more information Tel: 021 422 2100 or see

www.corkcollegeofcommerce.ie

ATTAIN - Abode has developed a new programme within FA S Introductory

Skills Training which is designed to prepare students with physical and

sensory disabilities for the transition to Further Education. A range of

academic and personal skills will be developed. Students wIll complete

FETAC level 4 modules including Communications, Career Planning, IT Skills

and Personal Effectiveness. For more information please contact Clodagh

Caulifield or Barbara O'Connell at Abode on 021 491 6180.

Springboard - initiative in higher education offers free, part-time courses at

certificate, degree and masters level, leading to qualifications that are in

demand among employers. The majority of courses are one-year or less in

duration. Springboard is open to jobseekers who have a previous

history of employment and believe that a focused, high quality qualification

is the key to getting back to work. For a list of courses and eligibility criteria

Tel: 1800 303 523 or see: http://www.springboardcourses.ie .

3

In April Cork City Adult Guidance Service developed and ran a new

programme called ‘Your Future – What Next?’. It consisted of four three

hour workshops covering a range of career management topics including:

Completing a career profile and skills audit;

C.V. writing & interview techniques;

Job search skills;

The employer’s perspective.

Particpants were referred by the Department of Social Protection. The

Co-ordinator of the service, Andrea McCarthy delivered the initial workshop,

Sinead English, an independent Careers Consultant delivered the second and third workshops while Deirdre O’

Shaughnessy, editor with the Cork Independent and Karen Power & Anna Harrington from Kelly Services were

guest speakers during the final workshop.

Philip O’Neill (23 yrs), a participant, described the programme as follows:

‘The first day was predominantly spent getting to know each other. My first instinct here was that this was a good

group, free of the negative influences which can destroy an experience like this. Each person was genuinely

participating to help improve their employment prospects. The second and third sessions was presented by Sine ad

English. She gave a CV and interview workshop and it opened my eyes to what exactly is needed to push ahead in a

competitive market. As someone who expected to merely be given a CV template, I was surprised to see the detail

into which she went. She highlighted how a CV should be tailored each time to suit to the job on offer, or at least,

the cover letter should address this. This was particularly beneficial to me as at just 23 years old, I have very

limited practical experience. Ms. English advised and directed me on how to use the CV as a way to stand out from

the crowd and in the case of an interview, how to ensure that prospective employers cannot ignore you. In the

fourth and final session, we got the perspective of an employer. Deirdre O’Shaughnessy, the hiring manager of the

Cork Independent newspaper, spoke to us about what she wishes to see in a candidate and also, even when a

person is not quite ready for the job in question or if there is a stronger candidate at that time, how to remain in

the minds of the employer for next time.

I felt this programme was a wonderfully insightful journey of self-discovery and evaluation. It enabled me to ask

the difficult questions of myself which are necessary to truly move on and thrive in my career. It is definitely

something I would recommend for all honest, motivated people who are in need of help in making their next

important career move.’

Your Future - What Next?

Cork City Adult Guidance Service

Information Resource Centre

22 South Mall

Cork

Phone: 021 490 7149

E-mail: guidanceinfo@corkvec.ie

www.facebook.com/

corkadultguidance

PRODUCED BY CLAIRE NAGLE, INFORMATION OFFICER, CORK CITY ADULT GUIDANCE SERVICE

Contact Details

Postal Address:

21 Lavitts Quay, Cork

Information Resource Centre,

22 South Mall (beside Threshold,

opposite AIB)

Your Future -What’s Next? Presentation to

Kelly Services Recruitment Consultants