Work Experience

The importance of work experience can help you with your future career prospects. Your work experience can signal to a future employer that you have the ability to work as part of a team or be suitable for future job positions within a business. By being able to demonstrate what you have learned about the world of work as well as the skills you have developed as a result of your work experience can greatly increase your employment prospects.

When considering your place for work, you need to consider what type of experience will best suit your career goals. It is as important to know what you don't want as well as what you do want.
What type of experience do you need to gain to further your career?
What kind of skills are required and do you have the necessary skills for a particular type of employment?

College certificates and degrees are very important however relevant experience in the world of work which demonstrates some of your personal skills can be crucial in getting you to stand out. How you demonstrate your employ-ability through your work experience can make you stand out from the rest of the candidates. What was unique to you about your experience? Can you link anything that you have learned in theory into practice?

 
Here is a PDF document from gradireland entitled Work Experience & Time Out which provides helpful advice regarding skills, how to get a placement, getting the most from your placement, work experience after graduation, details about voluntary work and more.

O'Fiaich College win 2011 North-east PLC debate championship

The 2011 PLC debate championship took place between O'Fiaich College and Monaghan VEC. The motion for the debate was "Is there a future for the young generation in Ireland today?". The O'Fiaich team consisted of Clive Friary, Emma Bell and Emma Carroll while the Monaghan team was composed of Natasha Armstrong, John O'Shea and Geraldine Duffy.

The debate was organised between the respective teachers of the schools to help students gain confidence for the workplace while also being a particuarly relevant current topic. Teachers involved from Monaghan included Sinead Corrigan and Olive Hanna while the O'Fiaich teachers who assisted were Marcus Howard, Colm Connolly and Monica Curtis.

Independent adjudicators consisted of Philip Keegan from Carrickmacross and Victoria O'Hagan from St. Vincents Secondary school, Dundalk.The debate achieved significant local coverage having been featured in The Argus, Dundalk Democrat and Dundalk Leader.

Back row: Colm Connolly, teacher, Monica Curtis, teacher, Emma Carroll, Emma Bell, Clive Friary, Marcus Howard, teacher from O'Fiaich College


Front row: Olive-Hanna Murtagh, teacher, Natasha Armstrong, Geraldine Duffy, John McShea, and Sinead Corrigan, teacher.

A link to an article by the Argus covering the debate can be viewed by clicking this link.