60 senior cycle students from Castleblayney College, Monaghan enjoyed an enjoyable and educational trip to Kingspan Environmental, Portadown recently.
The visiting students were welcomed by Kingspan Environmental business professionals and enjoyed heairng about the many and varied routes taken by members of Kingspan Environmental staff in terms of educational backgrounds and career choices in their paths leading to current roles at the company. Students also toured the plant to see at first hand the step by step processes involved in the production of solar thermal tubes and tanks and were intrigued to hear some of the backgound to the Kingpsan success story.
Mirroring the views of many, one student reflected: “it was really great to see how many different types of careers are available in Kingspan. I am interested in engineering and construction and the visit to Kingspan really showed me how I could use these subjects to get a job there in the future. I have better understanding now too of how a company can operate globally, growing from a local base. If I was successful in getting a job there after my studies perhaps it would give me the opportunity to transfer to another country for a while.”
Gerry McDermott, HR Director for the Kingspan Environmental Division commented, “We are delighted to support Junior Achievement Ireland. It is a fantastic initiative. It was a pleasure to host the students from Castleblayney College. Hopefully we have inspired some of the pupils to join our team in the future!”
Mairéad Mohan, Development Officer, Junior Achievement Ireland commented, “The opportunity for students to be hosted by Kingspan Environmental, when they are at that critical age where they are starting to think about possible careers, enables them to see for themselves what the working world is like. Interacting with professionals who followed a wide variety of career paths before arriving at Kingpsan, allows them to see the relevance of their studies and the importance of making informed choices about their future.”
Junior Achievement Ireland is grateful to Gene Murtagh, CEO, Kingspan Group, for his continued support and special thanks to the Kingspan Environmental business volunteers: Gerry McDermott, Stephen Morrison, Finbarr McCarthy, Michal Piecuch, Abbey Scott, Mark McCauley, David Mc Kibbon and Stephen Nelson for making the trip so special for all the students.