The National Apprenticeship Awards Ceremony for Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board and Kerry Education and Training Board took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Limerick recently. Apprentices from a wide range of disciplines were conferred including Aircraft and Agricultural Mechanics, Carpentry and Joinery, Construction Plant Fitting, Electrical, Hairdressing, Metal Fabrication, Motor Mechanics, Pipefitting, Plumbing and Stonemasonry to name but a few.
Dean receiving his award from Colm McEvoy, Chief Executive of Kerry ETB.
One of this year’s graduates from Limerick was 25 year old Plumbing Apprentice Dean Territt from Dooradoyle who travelled all the way home from Australia for the ceremony.
Dean served as an apprentice in both Gas Works and Pro Mec in plumbing before moving to the other side of the world but he was determined to make it back for the big day and travelled all the way from Brisbane, Australia to make sure he was there to accept his award.
According to Dean he was inspired to learn a trade by his grandfather who was a fitter. Dean said he loved to watch his granddad working when he was growing up and knew then he wanted to find a trade for himself.
As it turns out Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail Jim Meade also started his career as a fitter.
Jim who is a native of Co. Clare proved to be the perfect guest speaker at the graduation ceremony having travelled the apprenticeship journey himself.
As Jim explained to the graduates including Dean who he met at the event, he began his career as an apprentice fitter in 1979, joining Iarnród Éireann in Limerick after finishing his apprenticeship in 1983.
Before he was appointed Chief Executive he worked in a variety of roles, including fleet maintenance management, strategic change programmes and district manager in Limerick.
Kate receiving her award from George Callaghan, Chief Executive of Limerick and Clare ETB.
Another graduate who got to chat with Jim Meade at the ceremony was Hairdressing Apprentice Kate Enright from Kilfinny in Co. Limerick. Kate said she also knew what she wanted to do from a young age, working for the last 14 years as a hairdresser in the Purple Rain salon in Croom she was thrilled when the opportunity to be part of the first cohort of National Hairdressing Apprenticeship graduates who have completed three year programme.
Congratulating the graduating apprentices Jim told them that this was just the beginning of their stories and encouraged them to test themselves within their careers “Set yourself a challenge, you will either succeed or you will learn from it” he said.
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