Dungarvan College – Coláiste Dhún Garbhán hosts virtual meeting with Minister Simon Harris
On the 22nd of March, Dungarvan College – Coláiste Dhún Garbhán was delighted to host a virtual meeting with Simon Harris Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The meeting was held to discuss the innovative one-year PLC course in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Operations which is delivered by Dungarvan College - Coláiste Dhún Garbhán,which is part of WWETB.
Speaking about the event, Principal, Danny Cunningham commented “This course is thriving due to a highly successful Community Partnership which has existed for four years between our College and GSK. The partnership originated following a collaboration between Dungarvan College - Coláiste Dhún Garbhán, GSK, Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber of Commerce, South East Regional Skills Forum and WWETB.”
WWETB CE, Kevin Lewis and WWETB Further Education and Training Director, Ken Whyte also joined the virtual meeting with Minister Harris along with staff from Dungarvan College - Coláiste Dhún Garbhán. Representing GSK at the meeting was Ann Kingston, Learning & Development Advisor and past student of Dungarvan College - Coláiste Dhún Garbhán Una Mulligan. Una spoke highly of the benefits of the course; her comments were echoed by Dawn O’Shea, who is currently studying the course.
Conor Tolan, Site Director, GSK, Dungarvan said “GSK is lucky to be part of the fabric of the Dungarvan community. We hugely value the capability of the talent in Waterford. Dungarvan College - Coláiste Dhún Garbhánis a key component in the development of this talent. Our partnership with the college has delivered us many valued employees over the years. Recently, students from the college have been a great support to us as we continue to manage our way through the COVID-19 pandemic. We are delighted to be in a position to offer excellent opportunities to our employees in a fast-paced consumer focused environment. I look forward to continuing our partnership with Dungarvan College – Coláiste Dhún Garbhán long into the future”.
The progression rate of students from this course into employment is outstanding. There is huge potential for manufacturing jobs throughout the South East of Ireland. Many Dungarvan College – Coláiste Dhún Garbhán past students are now working in GSK. Many other past students have taken up employment in companies such as West Pharmaceutical, Abbott Vascular, MSD, Apple, Jamil and Kerrygold.
The WWETB Training Centre was pivotal in establishing this one-year full time course. This course is unique as it is the only Pharma PLC course in Ireland. Students on this course have the fantastic opportunity of being able to carry out their work experience in GSK Dungarvan. Teachers on this course have worked in the manufacturing industry previously and pass their real-life experiences onto the students.
Following his visit Minister Harris added “I was really thrilled to pay a virtual visit today and to see the really important work taking place in Dungarvan College - Coláiste Dhún Garbhán. I also had the chance to speak to some of the learners and hear first-hand the invaluable role the College has played for them. I look forward to visiting the College in person soon.”
If you have any queries regarding applying for the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Operations course, please contact [email protected]