Press release
Minister Foley congratulates students graduating with the P-TECH Special Purpose Award
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD congratulated the first post-primary students from Dublin's North East Inner City schools who have received the P-TECH Special Purpose Award today.
A total of 70 P-TECH sixth year students from Larkin Community College, St. Joseph’s Fairview and Marino College received the P-TECH Special Purpose Award. These were the first students to take part in P-TECH back in 2019 when it was introduced in three North East Inner City schools. Today, these students have received their P-TECH Special Purpose Awards at the National College of Ireland Conferring Ceremony being held in the Convention Centre.
Minister Foley said:
“Today is a key milestone for these students, and the P-TECH pilot project as a whole. We celebrate the first cohort of P-TECH students to graduate with their P-TECH Special Purpose Award. The aim of P-TECH is to provide students with an innovative and highly relevant education opportunity that enables them to earn a third-level qualification, along with the skills required to continue their education or enter the workforce.
"It is fantastic that these students are graduating today at the Convention Centre alongside other National College of Ireland graduates. What a brilliant unique experience for sixth years to be part of! These students are the P-TECH pioneers, and have paved the way for students coming behind them by showing the positive impact of P-TECH, and how it can support you to reach your full potential. I would like to congratulate the P-TECH sixth year students. I hope that every student is extremely proud of the work they have achieved and their accomplishments over the last five years.”
The students receiving their P-TECH Special Purpose Award began their P-TECH journey in second year back in 2019. The P-TECH pilot project is an education initiative that combines post-primary school with elements of further education and workplace experience, which can bring benefits to students and companies alike. Since it was first delivered, the P-TECH programme has made a significantly positive difference for students in terms of equipping them with relevant IT skills, as well as helping to encourage and develop their problem-solving, creativity, teamwork and communication skills, which really gets them ready for the world of work in sustainable employment.
Speaking at the graduation, students gave positive accounts of their experiences of the P-TECH Pilot Project over the last five years.
"P-TECH helped me develop my abilities as a leader and working with other people.”
“My social and technical skills developed tremendously, and I found myself being more confident in my abilities.”
"I've worked and bonded with classmates who I'd rarely talk to, it felt rewarding to work effectively and efficiently with people I wasn't familiar with.”
"The internships opened my mind to new pathways and areas of work I wouldn't have considered."
In July 2016, the Government launched a major initiative for Dublin’s North East Inner City (NEIC) to oversee the long term, social and economic regeneration of the area.
The Mulvey Report entitled “Dublin’s North East Inner City – Creating a Brighter Future” was published in February 2017 and made a number of recommendations. As part of this response, in November 2018, P-TECH was launched as a pilot programme with three post-primary schools in the NEIC of Dublin by the Taoiseach, Minister for Education and Minister for Finance.
The P-TECH School Model, pioneered by IBM, is an education initiative that combines post-primary school with elements of further education (with modules which serve as credits if students choose to continue a specific level 6 P-TECH course after Leaving Certificate) and workplace experience.
P-TECH requires a three-way partnership between school, higher/further education institution and industry partners, with each required to commit to the success of the school and its students. It includes a structured workplace learning strand with mentoring, worksite visits, speakers, project days, skills-based and paid internships. Whilst the acquisition of relevant IT skills in key areas are included in the course work, P-TECH also seeks to encourage and develop student’s problem solving and creativity and places emphasis on teamwork, collaboration and communication skills.
P-TECH is now in operation across five NEIC schools - St. Joseph’s Fairview, Marino College, Larkin Community College, Rosmini Community School and O’Connell Secondary School - and has multiple industry partners supporting the programme, including A&L Goodbody, Cisco, Deloitte, IBM, Irish Life, Irish Rail, Uisce Éireann, Virgin Media, SAS and Salesforce. The National College of Ireland is the P-TECH academic partner.