Minister Harris welcomed to local schools

The school communities of St Peter’s Dunboyne, Loreto, Navan and Colasite Clavin, Longwood were delighted to receive a visit from Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris TD this week.

The Minister had responded to Colaiste Clavin’s Instagram invitation to visit the school and he, along with Minister Damien English and Cllr Joe Fox, were greeted by principal Margaret Deegan, 6th Year students Aoife and Bobby and Guidance teacher Stacey Higgins early on Monday, 31st January.

A sense of excitement and pride permeated throughout the building as the Minister did a whistle stop tour of the facilities, frequently stopping to chat to staff and students in classrooms.

Despite being invited to work out in the school’s state of the art fitness suite, the Minister saved his energies for a robust question and answer session with Leaving Certificate Students gathered together in the bright and spacious assembly area.

The Minister did not shy away from questions which included topics related to the Leaving Certificate exam format and was asked if students would be disadvantaged this year.

He was also asked what plans are there for improvement of transport and links to colleges for rural students?

Next on the agenda was a visit to meet with staff and students in Le Chéile, the custom designed ASD classrooms where refreshments and informal chats were very much appreciated by students and visitors alike. The students there presented Minister Harris with a variety of work and poems including one entitled As I Am, which the students requested that he would share with his brother Adam, founder of AsIAm.

Students, parents and staff alike were delighted that the Minister chose to visit this outstanding school, and recognise the work and effort made there to.

The Minister’s visit to local schools came on foot of announced enhancements to the Central Applications Office (CAO) website to include further education and apprenticeship options for school leavers.

For the first time, school leavers and other applicants can see options across the third-level system, by visiting cao.ie/options.

As well as higher education options, there are more than 650 PLC courses available via this page, and a one-stop-shop for information and guidance on national apprenticeships. The latter includes information on how to become an apprentice, what you will earn while you learn, and the qualifications you will achieve.

All applications for further education and apprenticeships continue to be made through the traditional channels, though applicants are able to navigate to these channels from the CAO website.

Following over 500 expressions of interest from schools around the country, Minister Harris has been visiting these schools to discuss these changes to the CAO website, and to emphasise the variety of pathways open to school leavers, in addition to higher education.

These include his visits to Loreto Secondary School in Navan, Coláiste Clavin in Longwood, and Saint Peter’s College in Dunboyne.

Minister Harris said: “We have so many industries offering diverse and interesting careers and there are so many ways to get there. If higher education isn’t for you, then we have options that are.

“Further education and apprenticeship provide a real and substantive career pathway for school leavers, while delivering on the critical skills needs of the economy and the future world of work.

Minister Harris summed up his visit by stating: “I was delighted to visit these Meath school to speak to the students about the options now available on the CAO website.”