We will be keeping you updated throughout the day and the week about all of the great events taking place to mark the milestone.

ETB Excellence Awards

ETB Week celebrations will culminate in the ETB Excellence Awards, which will take place in Croke Park on 2nd March. The Excellence Awards will recognise individuals, initiatives and groups in ETBs across the country, that have had a significant impact on their community, and are going above and beyond to embody the ETB ethos.

Over the past month, ETBs across the country were invited to submit entries to a number of categories, including ‘ETB Hero’, ‘Excellence in Education Award’, and ‘Excellence Award for Equality’, amongst others. The winners will be announced at the upcoming awards ceremony.

Commenting on the milestone year, Paddy Lavelle, Chief Executive of Education and Training Boards Ireland, said: “This year marks 10 years since the establishment of Education and Training Boards across the country – which is an extremely important milestone for us. The 16 ETBs operating across the country play a vital role in providing a route to education for people within their community – no matter what stage of their education journey they are on.

“As we reflect on 10 years of ETB education provision, we are delighted to be able to celebrate some of the people and groups across the country that are doing exemplary work at our upcoming ETB Excellence Awards, and we are looking forward to recognising all the achievements of our ETBs across the week.”

Overview

In 2023, Ireland’s Education & Training Boards are celebrating 10 years since their establishment. To mark this event and showcase the services Education and Training Boards provide to learners we will have a number of initiatives including:

ETB Heroes

• ETB Heroes media campaign featuring former and current ETB learners and staff who have excelled in their chosen field and who represent the best of what ETBs do. Heroes include RTE1 Newsreader Ray Kennedy, Singer Tolu Makay whose stunning interpretation of the Sawdoctors’ N17 charmed us, TG4 Rugby presenter and producer Máire Treasa Ní Dhubhghaill, Teacher Michael Farrell and Olympian Jack McFadden. We will also meet current and past ETB staff and learners who have been inspired by their ETB Heroes.
• National ETB Excellence Awards hosted by Ray Kennedy. Large in-person event taking place on Thursday 2nd March in Croke Park with awards presented by ETB Heroes and special guests.
• ETB Anthem competition: ETB learners are invited to compose a national anthem for Education & Training Boards
• “My ETB” creative multimedia competition

• Staff tea party and other events at local ETB level
• “Your ETB” National Staff video competition

Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board’s Annual Festival of Music will be taking place in the National Concert Hall on Tuesday 28^th February at 7:30pm. The Festival showcases the excellent musical talent that exists amongst the students in Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB schools.

After a two-year gap due to Covid 19, we are delighted to resume as ‘The Festival of Music’ showcases the excellent musical talent that exists amongst the students in DDLETB’s schools and colleges. There will be an entertaining programme of light classical, traditional, and popular music.

This is the twenty-second year that such a festival has been organised, and the previous festivals have met with high acclaim by those who attended.

Tickets can be purchased either directly from the school or via the NCH website here.

Today we have a guest post from Caro Neville, Adult Literacy Organiser at the Adult Education Service (AES) in Loughlinstown, and Amanda Byrne, a learner who returned to education after working for thirty years.

Amanda and Caro were recently featured at the National Book Awards.

The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) approached Caro, asking if she had a learner with a very positive experience of attending classes with the AES Service. And, would that learner be willing to participate in having a small video made to be screened during RTE’s An Post Book Awards?

Below, in her own words, Amanda tells us about returning to education and how it has improved her life.

I’m not going to lie, the thought of going back to education terrified me and I put it on the long finger for a year. But I did it and I love it!!

My name is Amanda Byrne, and I am 51 years young, I returned to education in September of 2021. I previously worked in a nursing home for thirty years. At the time I thought I would be there until retirement. Then the Corona Virus arrived, it caused me to revaluate my life and I decided to leave the nursing home. I knew I would go back to housekeeping somewhere else, but I also wanted more from life.

I also knew it wasn’t possible unless I improved certain aspects of my life, mainly education. So finally, after a year of toying with the idea, I was enrolled in the Adult Education Service in Loughlinstown Training Centre. I say ‘was,’ because it was actually my sister, Debbie that enrolled me in the end. She knew how little confidence I had in myself and that I needed a shove. I was so nervous before the first meeting with Caro the manager of the centre, but I left feeling excited.

The first morning of attending was nerve-wracking I even questioned myself if I would be able to do this. I pulled myself together and focused on how excited I felt when I was leaving that first meeting with Caro. Initially I only signed up for one class which was spelling and grammar, but by the end of the day I had signed up for three other classes. I felt even more excited after my first day because the tutors were so nice, just normal people, nothing like what I remember from the teachers back in school. Everything was explained ten times if it needed to be. Everything was done at my own pace.

And more importantly there were no exams.

At the end of the term, I had earned thirty credits Level 3 towards my junior certificate. This term I am doing four accredited courses which included word processing, spread sheets, maths and environmental stability awareness. I attend the centre two days a week. My five-year plan is to complete my leaving certificate at QQI level 4 and then go on and train to be a counsellor.

Since going back to education, it has changed me as a person. I believe in myself, I believe once I work hard I can achieve my goals and I know I will!! I can’t put into words how my life has changed since joining the centre. I am writing this in the hope of encouraging even just one person to do what I did. The first step is the hardest but once you take that first step your life will change. So just do it!!

Amanda Byrne Learner Story Loughlinstown

Congratulations to Caro and Amanda on their great achievements. You can find out more about DDLETB’s Adult Education Services here.

24 teachers from 24 different DDLETB and non-DDLETB schools were trained in June 2022 and have just received their internationally recognised certification from Cambridge English.

In keeping with our ethos, the certification of this new cohort of teachers continues DDLETB’s focus on quality and Excellence in Education in the area of EAL. Courses to train up teachers to teach EAL have been taking place in DDLETB for the past 17 years.

The next course will take place intensively over 32½ hours week beginning 19th June 2023. All welcome.

See below some of the proud teachers with their certs.
Best of luck in your future teaching of EAL schools in your schools!

DDLETB EAL Teacher Certificates