Press Release
Date: Monday 23 May 2008 (NR/15/08)
Teachers experience Education for Employability by taking on Construction Jobs
ConstructionSkills in Northern Ireland is supporting a unique Teacher Placement Project developed by the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). They have given ten teachers from throughout Northern Ireland the opportunity to complete a work placement in the construction industry. Each placement lasts 3 days and the employers in the sector are very supportive of the initiative.
Education for Employability was introduced in schools as part of the revised Northern Ireland curriculum in September 2007. For the last three years schools in the Dungannon and Cookstown, Newry and Mourne, Greater Belfast and Coleraine areas have been leading the way and championing CCEA initiatives that help implement the programme fully.
Vivienne Bannon, Education for Employability, CCEA, commented:
The teachers that complete these placements have a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the construction sector and the skills that are required in various fields of work. First-hand experience also enables them to appreciate the qualities and attitude required to work effectively and through participating in this scheme, teachers can bring real experiences back to the classroom and allow the world of construction to come to life for their pupils.
Catherine McGeady, ConstructionSkills in NI said,
By providing teacher placements I feel that we are making a real contribution to education. As the Sector Skills Council for Construction, it is important that we play our part in ensuring that the future workforce of Northern Ireland can meet the demands of the modern workplace.
The Teacher Placement Scheme helps showcase the range of career options that exist and it provides us at ConstructionSkills in NI with an opportunity to highlight the construction industry as one of those options.
CCEA’s Teacher Placement Scheme will be ongoing throughout the year and will be supported by Lagan Construction, Felix O’Hare, Farrans, Henry Bros, O’Neill Bros, Conway Builders and McCann Bros Seskinore
Additional Information
Schools Involved
Teachers from the following primary, special and post primary schools have been invited to take part:
| School | Teachers Name | Placement & date |
|---|---|---|
| St Catherine’s College, Armagh | Seamus McDhaibheid | Lagan Construction Newry bypass 23 – 25 April |
| Lismore Comphrensive, Craigavon |
Pauline Mallon | Felix O’Hare 27 – 29 May |
| Cedar Lodge, Belfast |
Una Orr | TBC 16 – 18 June |
| Wallace, Lisburn |
Paul Beaton | Gilbert Ash 26th – 28th May |
| Methodist College, Belfast |
Anne Scott | Farrans |
| Cookstown Primary, Cookstown |
Elizabeth Lennox | Henry Bros Magherafelt 16-18 June |
| St Peters. Derry |
Niomh Bryson | O’Neill Bros Pennyburn Industrial Estate 28 - 30 May |
| Oakgrove, Derry |
Stephen McDonough | Conway Builders Springtown Industrial Estate 28 - 30 May |
| St John’s, Omagh |
Kate Kennedy | Day 1 McCann Bros Seskinore Day 2 Site Day 3 TBC 9 – 11th June |
| Devenish College, Omagh |
TBC | Day 1 McCann Bros Seskinore Day 2 Site Day 3 TBC 9 – 11th June |
Education for Employability
Education for Employability was introduced in schools as part of the Revised Northern Ireland Curriculum in primary and post primary schools in September 2007.
Its aim is to ensure that all young people develop the personal qualities, skills, knowledge, understanding and attitudes which will give them a strong foundation for lifelong learning and work.
Primary
In primary schools, Education for Employability underpins the Revised Northern Ireland Curriculum. This means that from an early stage, what primary school children learn will be made real and relevant in the context of the world outside the window.
CCEA have produced resources such as the Anything’s Possible Enterprise StorySacks for Key Stage 1 and Out of this World for Key Stage 2.
Post Primary
At post primary level, Education for Employability encompasses three dimensions under the wider focus of Learning for Life and Work:
- Working in the Local and Global Economy
- Career Planning
- Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
It is given discrete timetabled time like any other subject.
CCEA have produced resources for mainstream and special needs.
Media enquiries to Frances Logue on (028) 9026 1298, Mobile 07747 560516. E mail flogue@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
