Step-by-step guide to what to expect at Ireland Skills Live at the RDS
WHEN you walk in the door of RDS Simmonscourt in Dublin later this month, expect to be blown away by the levels of energy and activity. This is the first year of Ireland Skills Live, an event showcasing the multiplicity of skills training initiatives and apprenticeships on offer nationwide, and it is packing the country’s largest indoor area to the max. There will be competitions, demonstrations, tryout areas, exhibitors and a careers zone, all using hands-on skills, user experience (UX), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
This event will change teachers’ and students’ perceptions about apprenticeships as career options. It presents a whole new raft of choices for students, to sit alongside the traditional CAO options.
The event is a journey through four zones. The first is the competitions zone. For years Irish people have excelled at the World Skills events, but the Irish public never saw their skilled representatives in action. Now, for the first time, all the national skills competitions – the precursors to the World Skills event later this year in Russia – will be under one roof. From culinary skills to carpentry to aviation engineering, students and teachers will see the best of Irish trades and skills in action.
After gaining a taste of what it’s all about, student visitors move on to the tryout zones, where they can attempt the very skills they enjoyed watching earlier, from cheffing to woodwork to graphic design.
As Irish people, we are not only talented craftspeople, we are also storytellers. You’ll understand this at the third zone – the heroes stage – where you will hear real-life experiences of ex-apprentices who have excelled in their chosen field. We will hear from restaurant owners and chefs such as Neven Maguire and construction leaders such as Dubliner Mick Stone.
To complete the journey, some of the biggest employers will be on-hand in the careers zone. Students will have the opportunity to meet, talk through training opportunities and even sign up for potential future careers with some of the country’s biggest names such as Sisk, Designer Group, Autodesk, Aer Lingus, Bus Éireann and the ESB.
By the time you finish your Ireland Skills Live journey you will have seen skills in action, tried some out yourself, heard about others’ experiences and spoken to experts who will guide you in the next steps to your exciting new career.
Garret Buckley
CEO, Eventhaus