‘Strawberries and Cream’

Thirty-four Careers teachers and lecturers in the Southern Board area have received their Post Graduate Certificates in Careers Education and Guidance in a graduation ceremony held in the Clounagh Centre, Portadown. The Board’s Chief Executive Officer Mrs Helen McClenaghan in the presence of representatives of the University of Ulster and Department of Education presented the Certificates.

The development of this new and unique Northern Ireland qualification has been the result of a partnership initiative between the Southern, Western and Belfast Education and Library Boards and the University of Ulster School of Education. This has been a proactive response to the evolving curriculum and staff development needs of schools. It has also been a positive response to the business community asking schools to produce young decision makers who are both confident and vocationally informed and as a result well placed to take advantage of the local and global economy.

The qualification delivered through in-service training has been innovative in its supporting use of the computer based ‘Blackboard’ Virtual Learning Environment facilitated by the Northern Ireland ‘C2K’ development programme and the Board’s state-of-the-art Video Conferencing facility based at the Clounagh Centre, Portadown.

Aidan McCormick, Officer for Careers and Vocational Education commented enthusiastically that “The qualification has been well received by schools adding kudos and further enhancing the quality of its careers department”. “Clearly it is seen by schools and teachers as being a significant qualification; next year’s allocation of twenty SELB teachers has already been filled”.