BellTime Magazine Autumn 2018 BellTime 10 lr | Page 2

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I am delighted to provide the foreword
for this special School Summit edition
of BellTime Magazine which is
sponsored by ABP.
For students attending this year’s
Summit, it is a very exciting time to be
considering your future after school.
There are more opportunities now than
ever before, to help you achieve your
ambitions in life.
There are a number of pathways to
further your education, whether you
choose third level, a post leaving
certificate course, or the
apprenticeship and traineeship routes.
This School Summit is a great
opportunity for you to explore the
different options available to you.
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We aim to make Ireland’s education
system the best in Europe by 2026.
This means many things – being the
best at supporting those who come to
education at a disadvantage, ensuring
our education system keeps pace with
technological changes, the changing
world and ensuring we are equipping
our students to manage their own
wellbeing. It also means strengthening
the pathways to education and
ensuring that we are providing a range
of alternative routes for those wishing
to continue or start their education. meet this target, we are developing in
some really exciting new areas.
Already 11 new apprenticeships have
been created and over 40 more in the
pipeline, some in traditional sectors
like horticulture and hospitality, other in
new sectors like ICT, biopharma and
logistics. You can find out more
information on www.apprenticeship.ie
Apprenticeships are a great pathway
for students to gain valuable
experience in working world. We have
set the target to double the number of
annual apprenticeship and traineeship
enrolments to 14,000 by 2020. To The expectations from our education
and training service are changing
rapidly. The challenge in the years
ahead will be to invest and transform
our education system so that it
broadens career paths, opens its
doors to lifelong learning, builds
momentum around key curricular
reforms which respond to changing
needs of students and continues to
break down cycles of disadvantage.
The School Summit provides valuable
career guidance and advice to
students and I would encourage all
those attending to take in as many of
the numerous demonstrations,
workshops and speeches as possible.
Events such as this one give students
an excellent opportunity to explore all
aspects of our wide ranging, limitless
and thriving education system.
Minister for Education and
Skills, Richard Bruton T.D
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