Thirty two learners attended An Cosán’s Further Education Awards ceremony in The Russell Centre, Tallaght on Saturday 30th November to receive QQI awards in Community Care, Community Development and Business Administration with Digital Skills.
Based in Jobstown, Tallaght, the mission of An Cosán, Ireland’s largest community education provider, is to empower people through education and break the cycle of poverty. All awardees of the Level 5 courses have completed a two-year journey to gain their professional qualification. Speaking at the awards ceremony, An Cosán’s Deputy CEO, Anne Genockey, said that “for some it wasn’t always an easy journey”. The learners faced a myriad of challenges which they surmounted to gain their professional qualifications. Challenges cited that learner’s faced included lacking digital skills, juggling assignment deadlines with family or carer commitments, health issues, depression, anxiety, and securing work experience. But despite all the challenges faced, Ms Genockey reminded them that the Awards event is a celebration of both their journey and their achievements: “because you stuck with it, in spite of all of these challenges and you should be really proud of yourselves!”.
The graduates were joined for the celebration by their proud tutors, families and friends. Valerie Hogg, Adult Education Officer of Dublin Dun Laoghaire Education & Training Board (DDLETB) also attended. Expressing gratitude to DDLETB for their continuing support of community education programmes at An Cosán, Ms Genockey said their support is “essential in providing the learner supports required to run these programmes and achieve these outcomes for learners.”
Lisa Keating, who graduated with a QQI Level 5 award in ‘Business Administration with Digital Skills’, received a standing ovation from the audience for sharing her moving learner journey speech. Lisa spoke about how, upon returning to live in Ireland from the UK with her children, she didn’t know where she was going: “when I walked into An Cosán the light shone on me and my path would become clear”. Lisa started her learning journey on the Return to Learning course, and then went on to complete a learning module in Communications; “and then the big step, the step that would change everything for me,” she shared, “was when I started on the Business Administration with Digital Skills course”. Lisa also shared how she secured a learner work placement with Bank of America and whilst there met lecturer and author of ‘Poor’, Katriona O’Sullivan, who was visiting the bank to speak to work placement participants.
Lisa said: “I came from poverty just like her, and I know now that I am ‘that woman’ that she talks about, and from me, raising my voice, she was quick to ask me to join her admin team”.
Lisa’s children have been inspired by their mother’s learning journey. “The boys see me working hard, studying hard, and they know that we’re in it together, studying together, coming together as a family, believing in the power of education. I say to them ‘If mammy can do it, then you can do it’ and you know what, they believe me”. “And they’re not the only ones,” she continued. “Not too long ago I was down the shops, and I got talking to the girl there, and I told her my story. Do you know where she is now? She’s started doing the same course at An Cosán as I did”. Lisa says the dark days of the past are firmly behind her now. “The future is so bright, standing here today, graduating, sharing my story… I’m looking forward to the New Year now, and all it will bring. This is going to be my first Christmas with no dark cloud over my head” she said. “It’s a good feeling. I’m free now, I’m graduating, and I know I’m going to make something of myself. That potential was always in me, but it was An Cosán that lifted me up and let me find it”.
Pictured: Anne Genockey, Deputy CEO, An Cosan with Marija Knezevic. Photography by Lorraine O’Sullivan
