County Mayo VEC, ‘Men Making the Mould’ programme wins National Innovation Award for Excellence in Education.
The VECNPF 2009 National Innovation Award for Excellence in Education was presented to County Mayo VEC for its programme “Men Making the Mould” at the VECNPF Annual Conference in Clontarf Castle.   The VECNPF National Innovation Awards are designed to recognise and promote innovation and change in the VEC Sector.  Director of the National Centre for Partnership and performance (NCPP) and Chairperson of the awards judging panel, Lucy Fallon-Byrne, stated “I am happy to present the Innovation Award for Excellence in Education to a VEC who developed a highly innovative programme to attract and cater for a cohort of adult male learners, previously untargeted.   Whilst providing FETAC-accredited IT training, this VEC have also created a space where men can discuss issues affecting men.”  Speaking after the award, Jackie Evans programme coordinator said, “I am delighted that County Mayo VEC has been acknowledged with this award for its ‘Men Making the Mould’ programme. It is testament to the vision, collaboration and efforts of the programme team and above all is acknowledges the inputs of our unique mould makers; the learners.”   This programme is an inter agency project, which is funded and supported by Mayo VEC, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Local Employment Services / FAS.  All funders recognise that innovation and synergy are key responses in the current economic difficulties and that upskilling and retraining is critical for our future development as a sustainable knowledge-driven economy.

For ten years now Davitt College has been to the forefront in the use of ICT in the classroom.  As the technology changed and evolved Davitt College progressed with it and today the school is now part of that elite group of schools actively participating in the digital classroom revolution.  Driving this revolution are Ioseph McGowan, Principal and Mark Jordan, ICT coordinator, supported by a talented staff who participate in on-going professional development in the use of this technology in the classroom. This pedagogical digital media training is provided by the ICT coordinator, who has a Master’s degree in Digital Media in Education.

Doing  IT  for  themselves

 Following the launch of the IT 2000 initiative by Department of Education & Science, Davitt College was one of the first post-primary schools to move forward with the introduction of digital resources in the school. Back then it was one of the first schools to offer ECDL to all Transition year pupils.
Information Technology investment by the department of Education and Science for schools’ ceased in 2006. Two years ago under the National Development Plan the government budgeted €252m to fund future training and upgrading of digital equipment in Irish schools. Due to financial constraints the government has had to shelve this investment. 
Davitt College, over the past three years, had the foresight to continue to invest in high specification, cutting edge technology to create an ICT culture in the school.  This investment includes the provision of three fully equipped state of the art computer rooms, a laptop for every teacher and ceiling mounted projectors in every classroom.   During this time a professional comprehensive teacher training programme was provided to ensure that these expensive resources were used effectively to enhance teaching and learning. This training has now been enhanced by the provision of a secure ICT support and resources website exclusively for teachers.

The forthcoming school year will see the introduction of an online eLearning solution for First Year and Transition year students. This online resource will provide rich, world-relevant educational resources and opportunities to all students. Expensive software is not necessary and since the resource is online everything is delivered through a standard web browser which can be accessed from any location with a computer and internet connection. Providing students with such an online facility does not in itself mean that it will enhance learning. For this reason students will be given constant guidance and support and their work constantly monitored by teachers and the ICT coordinator. To encourage First Year Students to use this facility it is intended to continue to provide supervised computer access, each day, during the lunchtime period.

In time it is envisaged that homework will be submitted online so reducing the necessity for books and heavy school bags. The ultimate objective of the plan is to enhance the leaning experience for students in all subject areas through a media they have grown up with.

Global Digital Economy

This approach to learning will allow Davitt College students to develop skills that will allow them to create new ways of participating and indeed contributing to the global digital economy we now live in.  Ireland has relied heavily on manufacturing but with the seismic shift in the worldwide division of labour we have to seek new ways of creating jobs in the greater global economy.  Manufacturing has moved East and while China & India are happy to take over our ‘box packing jobs’, they too have invested heavily in education.  They are aware of the need to educate their youth for the evolving challenges of the information revolution and globalisation itself. 

The Government recently published “Building Ireland’s Smart Economy a Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal” highlighting various weaknesses both in education and infrastructure which threatens our recovery.  It expressed concern over the scientific literacy of our 15 yr. olds being only a little above OECD average while mathematical literacy is just at the OECD average.
The challenges facing the Irish economy are not insurmountable. In the nineties, Finland experienced one of the worst recessions in half a century. Their solution was to invest heavily in education with particular emphasis on developing an ICT culture which spilled out of the classroom into the community making it one of the most sophisticated ICT cultures in the world. By the beginning of the new millennium it became one of the world’s greatest ICT economies. 
Ireland must embrace the digital revolution which has the potential to produce thousands of jobs in the future. Educational policies will have a major influence on this. Michael Ahern, Minister for Innovation across the Depts. Of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Education & Science, said recently,
“Schools will be crucial to Ireland’s success as a knowledge economy… but if we are to make a successful transition to a knowledge economy we must surely transform our schools as well”. 
Minister Ahern should be very impressed with the leadership, vision and innovation which have transformed Davitt College into a 21st century e-learning environment. Davitt College wants to play its part in building, through education, a better prosperous future.


  Mark Jordan, ICT Coordinator, providing ICT Training to the teaching staff of  Davitt College