Students of the Irish Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) in Athlone graduated from a course including ICDL certification at a ceremony held recently at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel.
The certification was provided by QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) at Levels Four and Five and the Irish Computer Society Foundation provided certification for the ICDL course.
This year there were 48 certificates presented, comprising of 21 full QQI Level 5 certificates and 21 component certificates. There were also 6 full ICDL certificates.
The Athlone VTOS programme is run by the Longford Westmeath Education and Training Board (LWETB) and is funded by the Irish Department of Education and the European Social Fund. The full-time course runs for two years with a wide range of subjects at QQI Level 5 in Business Administration, Software Development and Art/Craft. Athlone VTOS is now situated at Garrycastle at the Athlone Training Centre with state-of-the-art facilities, free parking for students and an excellent canteen.
This certification is very valuable in both providing a path to third level education and also in re-entering the workplace. Employers are quick to recognise the potential of students who have been successful in achieving certification from QQI, which incorporates the necessary practical skills which employers require in the workplace today.
A longer version of this article was first published in the Westmeath Independent on 7 December 2019.
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