Senior cycle and pre-senior cycle students, and their families, are invited to attend the second annual Claremorris Career Event 2018, which takes place in the McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris, on Saturday, January 20 (11am to 2pm). Last year’s inaugural event attracted a bumper attendance of 500 students and parents.

The list of guest speakers will be announced closer to the time, with the organisers ensuring exhibitors, students and families that it will be another impressive collection.

“We had a number of guest speakers last year and they were all excellent – Enda Kenny, TD, who was our Taoiseach at the time; former Mayo manager, James Horan; General Manager of DeCare Dental, Maureen Walsh; well-known author and career coach Dearbhla Kelly; and career psychologist Isabel Alvarez Seron,” said John Farragher, chairman, South Mayo GAA Board.

The purpose of the event is to arm students and families with key information on the various options available to them upon completing their second-level education. Admission will be free of charge.

Stands from a number of leading CAO universities and colleges will afford students to ask key questions about those institutions, entry requirements and employment possibilities. Non-college options will also be presented on the day.

The event is being organised by the South Mayo GAA Board and the Mayo GAA Coaching Committee, and is open to GAA and non-GAA members alike. It is being sponsored by Tuam Credit Union and Claremorris/Ballinrobe Credit Union supported by the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) and South West Mayo Development Company.

“In the GAA, we have direct involvement with teenagers and their families, and know only too well the difficulties of making career decisions during secondary school. As a community-based sporting organisation, we are keen to help our members at this time, and when we ran this event last year for the first time, it made absolute sense to throw the doors open so that non-GAA members could also attend,” said Padraic Carolan, Mayo GAA Coaching Officer.

“We see this as an important support to young people –and it is being marketed through the schools, GAA clubs and the media.”

The colleges and other bodies attending are being updated here http://mayogaa.com/content_page/10018111/  and on https://slinuacareers.com/category/careerevent/. Other details about the event are also available on those pages.

“We invite post-primary students from third, fourth fifth and sixth years, and their parents. Indeed, people can come from outside the county as well,” said Padraic Carolan, Coaching Officer, Mayo GAA.

“Our advice to students and their families would be to come along on the day and speak with the various representatives from the colleges and other entities.”

Education institutions and private sector bodies can exhibit at the event free of charge, and can do so by obtaining a booking form from Shane Halligan, a member of the organising committee, on shane@slinuacareers.com, 094 95 42965, or from any member of the committee.

The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2015-2017 is funded by the Irish Government and co-funded by the European Social Fund and includes a special allocation under the Youth Employment Initiative. For further information, please visit the Pobal Website www.pobal.ie. The support of the South West Mayo Development Company Ltd is also acknowledged.

The organising committee comprises John Farragher, Kieran Kilkenny, Liam Horan, Padraic Carolan, TJ Kelly, Michael King, Shane Halligan and Paula Ballester Murat.