Recently, we were delighted to welcome back a number of students from the Class of 2022, and their families, for the presentation of bursaries to support their further education outside of our caring school community.

In 2019 Ardscoil Mhuire was delighted to be selected for participation in the Bridge to Employment (BTE) programme. This three year mentoring programme supported our students in achieving academic success and in their preparation for higher education, training, and employment. The BTE programme presented 25 of our students with unique and invaluable real world experiences, allowed them to explore potential careers, prepare for college/work, and discover how learning is relevant to their future.

Over the three years we witnessed, first-hand, the transformational effect it had on all our participating students as they acquired invaluable knowledge, honed key skills, and developed in confidence.

However, it did not stop there. The Bridge to Employment programme also afforded our students the opportunity to apply for very sizable and generous Further Education scholarships. In October, bursaries were awarded in the hope that this significant financial support will enable the recipients to fully participate in the Further Education opportunities that they had already begun. Also in attendance were Teresa Leahy from Junior Achievement Ireland, as well as Carly Nevin and Noelette Ensko from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, whose support in running the programme since 2019 has been much appreciated.

Ardscoil Mhuire’s entire school community sincerely thanks Junior Achievement Ireland and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care for collaborating on this program over the last three years. The wonderful experiences that our students enjoyed over the three years of the BTE programme will continue to be of great benefit to them, now and into the future.