Glenart College students Darragh Kennedy, Jack Bermingham, Donnacha Walker, Ben Burke, Jamie Byrne, Victoria Tarnogorska, Isabelle Chadwick, Paloma Palach, Emily Kavanagh and Leanna Walsh participated in the third year of the Student Mentoring Programme, which was delivered through one-to-one monthly sessions over the 2023/24 academic year.
The programme is designed to facilitate personalised sessions, covering topics like goal setting, career exploration and interview skills preparation, with sessional content drawn from a suite of Business in the Community Ireland-approved resources, with student soft skills and resilience building encouraged throughout the year’s programme.
Sure to serve the Glenart students well as they prepare for the future world of work, the sixth-year students benefitted from the support and advice of volunteer mentors from SSE Renewables across Ireland and the UK, including Deborah Coleman, Aaron Henry, Ann Fahy, Hugh Connell, Robert Sheldon, Arthur Wright, Tom Guiney, Mairi Muir, Mulvihill, Niall, Jack Mooney, and Deirdre Keogh.
Niall Walsh, Programme Co-ordinator at Glenart College, said: “The feedback from our students has been overwhelmingly positive. It has boosted their confidence and challenged them to think creatively about their future education and career options. We’re very grateful to the mentors for their enthusiasm, preparation, encouragement, and integrity demonstrated throughout the mentoring sessions”.
Alison Norman, Regional Co-ordinator, Business in the Community Ireland, said: “The Student Mentoring Programme is well-established across the country – 254 students and 240 mentors are participating this year with almost 3,000 students and 2,800 mentors having participated to date.
“Currently, there are 36 programmes involving 32 companies in Ireland mentoring 32 schools. The mentoring programme encourages retention, increases self-esteem, and develops an awareness of workplace practices and expectations.
“The support from SSE Renewables’ mentors, alongside the management and staff in Glenart College, has brought tangible benefits to the students who participated. We look forward to continuing the very positive relationship with Glenart College and SSE Renewables in the next academic year”.
Deirdre Keogh, Community Engagement Manager, SSE Renewables, added: “Members of our Arklow Bank Wind Park 2 project team were delighted to participate in the programme for a third year, and we had a great mix of new and previous mentors taking part.
“Being part of the mentoring programme gives us a chance to give something back as a company and most importantly, help support and contribute to talent and skills development for young people in Arklow.
“The Student Mentoring Programme has become a stalwart example of our company’s commitment, and as we move forward to submit our offshore planning application in the coming weeks, we very much look forward to progressing the project and our Sustainable Education Centre which will be housed in our offshore operations’ base at the South Dock in Arklow.
“This will provide exhibition space and offers the potential to support local schools (and those from further afield) and will provide the chance for students to visit the centre and learn about offshore wind, local heritage, and sustainability.
“On behalf of our mentors, it was a pleasure to be involved with the programme and mentor such bright, earnest, and ambitious students. We wish our mentee students and all those sitting state examinations, every success.”
