Sligo VEC latest news

Further Education Opportunities Day at North Connaught College Tubbercurry 
Also Hosting Marie Keating mobile unit

Wednesday 10 th March is an important date for all interested in further and adult education opportunities in Tubbercurry.

North Connaught College on the Sligo Road provides education and training programmes of the highest quality and on 10th March members of the public are invited to come and see our facilities, talk to tutors about opportunities and meet some of the present students. At present over 200 adults of all ages are taking advantage of professional courses,ranging from Beauty Therapy , Childcare, Nursing, Business, Community Development, Security Studies and more. Courses are mostly one year, leading to qualifications which are nationally accredited , and are delivered by experienced staff in a caring and supportive atmosphere.

We are also delighted that the Marie Keating Foundation is sending one of its mobile units to coincide with our open afternoon. This unit will allow any member of the public to visit , receive information and talk in confidence to a trained nurse on any aspect of cancer. The Marie Keating foundation works to beat cancer through awareness, education and support so the college is delighted to be able to accommodate the unit.

So if you are a school leaver this year, or an adult considering returning to education or indeed just curious about what education opportunities are available locally then you are invited to come to our open afternoon between 3pm and 5.30pm.

Members of the public just wishing to visit the Marie Keating mobile unit are also most welcome- you might like to come in for a cup of tea to the college afterwards!

Further details available by phoning the college on 0719185035, a prospectus for courses starting in September 2010 is also available, or by visiting our web site www.northconnaughtcollege.net

Celebration of Music Evening

Hawkswell Theatre - Monday and Tuesday 8^th and 9^th March

Following on the success of last year’s concert, the students and staff of County Sligo VEC are hosting their second Musical Extravaganza.  This year there will be two performances and they take place in the Hawskwell Theatre on Monday and Tuesday 8^th and 9^th March.  Both shows starting at 8 p.m.

Once again Shaun Purcell, CEO of Sligo VEC, has undertaken with the production team to co-ordinate the shows which will showcase the amazing variety and range of talent in the students from all the VEC schools in County Sligo.  With his wealth of musical background, Shaun is very much at home in bringing the best out of these talented students and bringing the performers from all the schools together.  This feat will be all the more spectacular because the various groups will come together for the first time on the day of the show!

An exhibition of projects and art pieces from County Sligo VEC schools, centres and colleges will provide the cultural and academic backdrop for audiences as they make their way through the theatre foyer.  The concerts promise to deliver an entertaining mix of traditional music, song, dance, classical music, opera, drummers, choral singing.  Even at this early stage of preparation the enormous variety of high level talent amongst our students is obvious.  We are watching some of our future stars in action.  The staff and students have come together with a display of energy and inspiration that is guaranteed to lift the audience.

The staff and students from the following VEC Schools and Colleges are involved:-     Ballinode Community College, Corran Community College Ballymote, Coola Post Primary School, Coláiste Iascaigh Easkey, Grange Post Primary School, North Connaught College Tubbercurry and Youthreach Sligo.

Tickets costing €10 are available from schools and also from Sligo VEC offices in Quay Street.

Developing a Shared Society Through Youth Sport is an innovative cross-border extra curricular school sports project co-ordinated by County Sligo V.E.C. in conjunction with the Western Education and Library Board (Northern Ireland) and with the assistance of the European Programme for Peace and Reconciliation.

The Project through the involvement of schools both North and South of the border aims to use the medium of youth sport to promote reconciliation through cross community and cross border interactions, that positively influence negative attitudes underlining sectarianism and racism behaviours.

Sligo VEC would like to invite applications from post primary schools operating within County Sligo who wish to participate in this innovative project. Further information and conditions applying to participation in the project are available from the Project Manager, Youth Sport West, County Sligo VEC, Riverside, Sligo. Tel: 0719161511.

This project is funded under the Peace III Programme administered by the Special EU Programme Body

The Dragon's Den was held on Tuesday the 23rd of February in Sligo IT as part of Enterprise & Innovation Week. 

There was an outstanding response to the competition.  The finalists put on an excellent show!

1st prize went to Patrick Leonard, a 1st year student from Grange Post-Primary School.  His product was a very creative locker organizer, with a light and was ipod compatible.  A very deserving winner!

2nd prize went to Zoe Nicholson, a 2nd year student from Grange PPS, her idea was a website www.youthscenesligo.com

Zoe is clearly a very capable entrepreneur, she had carried out impressive market research and has already local businesses on board advertising on her website. 

If you want to know what is happening for young people in County Sligo, you must visit her website!

3rd prize went to John Callaghan, a student with VTOS Leaving Certificate in Quay Street in Sligo.  His idea is a coal delivery service using a reusable refillable bag.  This will get rid of the waste of all those ripped coal sacks that every household has lying at the bottom of their coal bunkers.  His service is called www.gaiafuels.ie

There was a special prize for the most creative presentation.  This went to Jamie Kelly & Oisín Gilmartin, 1st year students from Coola Post-Primary School.  Their innovative idea was a board-game called The Mummie's Maze.  They gave a fantastic presentation and impressed everybody with their confidence and creativity!

All the other finalists were really great, and the 'Dragons' had a very difficult job in picking the winners. 

Co Sligo VEC would like to thank everybody who participated, all who attended, the Dragons (of course!) Seamus Farrell, SF Engineering, Bernie Butler, Good4U and Kevin Quinn, The Embassy Rooms.  Thanks to Niall Mc Evoy, Head of Innovation and the Enterprise & Innovation organizing committee, Catherine Young, from Sligo IT, who made sure all the presentations went smoothly, and the VEC driving group, Margaret Scollan, Orla Mc Art, David Downey, Kitty Ganley, Lorraine Hosey and Eamon Bruen.

A big thank you also to our sponsors Sligo County Enterprise Board and Sligo Credit Union!

CELEBRATION OF MUSIC ( HAWKSWELL)...........................8TH AND 9TH MARCH