This year RCTC celebrates 21 years of service to early school leavers of the local community. On 10th November, Ruairí Quinn TD will officiate at the 21st celebrations and present FETAC certification to graduates.
Ruairí Quinn TD, then Minister for Labour & Public Services officially opened the training facilities at Regal House, 28, Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4 in 1986. Since then, the centre has been pursuing its objective: To entice, encourage and channel early school leavers back into the education/ work environment.
Denis Murphy is the General Manager, with 14 years experience in community services, and has been working in Ringsend for the past four years. He is very dedicated to education and retraining in order to create opportunities.
He says there are a variety of reasons the candidates dropped out of school: possibly low self-esteem, the system doesn’t suit them or they have no interest in academic qualifications.
The target of the programme is to encourage the young people to stay in education, to develop opportunities for further education and to progress them to employment. The students get great support. At their own pace, individual learning plans are developed and a profiling web is made of each student, based on their perception of where they are.
Instructors address the problems of dropping out, attendance and time keeping. A FÁS Training Allowance is paid to each student, and courses normally run for one year, with an optional tracking system which follows learners into their next career.
Ringsend CTC has 40 places, and its intake for training is continuous. The student teacher ratio is usually 10:1. They offer Office Procedures, for those wishing to work in a modern office, the European Computer Driving License (ECDL) which covers the basic concepts of I.T.; word processing; spreadsheets; database; Powerpoint presentation; and internet communications.
Catering provides opportunities for employment in the catering industry and helps develop a lifestyle of healthy nutritional eating habits. Sports & Health Related Fitness (supported by Dublin City Council) provides quality training and recognised qualifications to young people in a variety of sports, health and leisure activities.
The VEC sponsors two other courses: Literacy and Numeracy and the Junior Certificate. They also do some leaving certificate courses as well. Three students achieved the Junior Cert this year.
A ten-week course in Radio Production and Presentation was successfully piloted resulting in the production of a CD. The college also have a graduate on a Sports Scholarship to Tri County College, South Carolina, USA. They are also very proud of the successful graduation of a former student and a staff member who were presented with their certification in Women’s Development Studies at UCD this year.
RCTC would like to acknowledge the 21 years core contribution from FÁS and would like to thank all members and staff for their invaluable experience and dedicated service to the local community. RCTC would also like to acknowledge their continued successful partnership with Dublin City Council.
The centre also remembers the valued contribution of their deceased former directors Fr. Paul Spellman, Capt. Philip Murphy, John Farrell and former Manager Ann O’Gorman, Instructor Marjorie Arundell, and they especially remember the sad loss of graduate Alan Young.
RCTC also welcome the appointment of new members to the Board of Management and trust that they will re-invigorate efforts to provide a learner-centred approach to early school-leavers in a stimulating and supportive environment. RCTC also look forward to FAS’s continued support with their future planned development and the establishment of a new, permanent training centre in the purpose-built development at the Plot 8 site at Grand Canal Basin, Ringsend.
Pictured is General Manager Denis Murphy.