In her role, Nessa has strategic responsibility for sectoral funding and capital projects, as well as the implementation of the national 5-year Further Education and Training (FET) Strategy 2020 – 2024.
In her previous role of General Secretary of ETBI she had significant engagement with government departments. Before that, Nessa worked in the ETB-SOLAS PMO of the Department of Education for a number of years as a Project Manager.
She returned to ETBI to lead the ongoing change management project and was then appointed to the role of ETBI General Secretary in May 2018. Nessa commenced her current post of Executive Director in SOLAS since September 2020.
Siobhán's remit includes leading a team to deliver recruitment support for employers, engagement with their representative groups, deliver Ireland’s EURES social mobility programme and is responsible for JobsIreland.ie, Intreo’s free online recruitment and job-matching platform.
As chair of the Cross-Border Partnership for Employment Services, she works with the Department of Communities in Northern Ireland to support recruitment across the border counties and leads the Future Building initiative, the SOLAS/ETB/Intreo team working supporting recruitment to training and jobs in construction. In her role, she works closely with SOLAS, the ETBs, Skillnet Ireland and DFHERIS to build integrated offerings for jobseekers, returners, migrants and persons with disabilities, among others. Siobhán has long been an advocate for human rights and equality, addressing unconscious bias and promoting social inclusion and diversity. Siobhán studied in the Institute of Public Administration in Dublin and the University of Ulster.
Diarmuid works in the area of post-primary education having originally joined the NCCA in 2017 as an Education Officer. Diarmuid’s main areas of work include STEM education and programmes in senior cycle.
In his previous role, Diarmuid worked as a post-primary and further education teacher in the areas of engineering and mathematics with Waterford and Wexford ETB and was involved in coordinating both post-primary and PLC programmes.
Tadhg is a pre-credited member of the IACP (Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) and is a registered member with the Teaching Council. Tadhg has done extensive work in the areas of support and guidance, and has engaged with stakeholders across educational sectors, actively promoting guidance counselling and support and important and recognised pillars in Irish education. Tadhg also works as an adult guidance counsellor with GRETB.
Sarah’s career has largely been spent in the broader education and training field, through national agencies and central Government departments. She worked in the Department of Education from 2008-2021. With considerable experience in the area of public service reform, Sarah joined the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in 2021, where she has responsibility for the Apprenticeship and Public Policy Partnering unit. In this role she is responsible for apprenticeship policy and construction and green skills.
Sarah has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science and a Master of Arts (Politics) (University College Dublin), Master of Arts (Public Management) (Institute of Public Administration) and a Professional Diploma in Organisational Change and Transformation from University College Dublin.
Associate Professor and former Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning / Director - FETRC and Lecturer.at DCU, Justin is the former Programme Chair for the BSc in Education & Training, the Foundation Programme in Education & Training and Chair of the Further, Adult and Continuing Education strand of this degree. In 2016 Justin was appointed as Associate Dean for Teaching in Learning in DCUs' Institute of Education - the largest dedicated Faculty of Education on the Island of Ireland, with a student body of over 4000. Within this role, he was responsible for all taught postgraduate, undergraduate primary, post-primary and further education teacher education programmes.
Justin’s talk focussed on unlocking the potential of FET through navigating pathways and transitions.
Since Andrew took up the role in September 2019, SOLAS, the state agency responsible for further education and training (FET) and apprenticeships in Ireland, has overseen the FET sector’s response to COVID, launched an ambitious new FET strategy - Transforming Learning - a new literacy and numeracy strategy - Adult Literacy for Life - and has overseen the inclusion of FET and apprenticeship options as part of the CAO decision-making process. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Andrew was Executive Director for Strategy and Knowledge at SOLAS, where he played a key role in putting in place a strategic performance framework for the FET sector and implementing reforms to support a more integrated system.
A seasoned broadcaster, communicator and polished MC, Sonya delights in holding a room together, driving home the key messages and encapsulating take outs. Sonya is passionate about sharing her own story of growth and empowerment. Equipping the audience with practical tools to control the controllable and manage the uncontrollable in work and life.
Carol has fifteen years of experience in the role of guidance counsellor in a variety of post-primary school settings. She has also undertaken numerous additional roles during her twenty years of practice in the wider education sector.
In a previous role as Guidance Programme Coordinator (2019-2022), Carol coordinated and delivered a comprehensive programme of support for schools and contributed directly to the development of post-primary Guidance policy.
Carol completed her PhD research on stakeholder perspectives and assessment in second level education. She has co-authored and published two books to support students and parents as they navigate the Irish education system.
Carol holds a BA, MEd (Specialisation in Guidance Counselling), GDEd and a PhD (Education Policy and Practice). She is also a guidance counselling supervisor.
Andrina's work contributes to advancing recognition of prior learning (RPL) policy and practice nationally and internationally. She is a founding member of the RPL Practitioner Network Ireland. She advocates for equity of opportunity in higher education.
Triin has over 20 years' experience of educational leadership in various positions: principal of two vocational schools, director of a university college and a chairman of the board of Estonian Association of VET providers.
Since 2023, she has worked in the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research as the head of vocational education reform.
Triin’s talk focussed on pathways to skills for all learners of all ages. She discussed the digital transformation in Estonia, in education and more broadly. Estonia has an inclusive education system and student supports with a strong focus on going to university, while the Estonian government wants to make vocational education more accessible. Triin covers the challenges within the Estonian VET structure and some of their plans to address these challenges, some of which are universal to VET but others which are more specific to Estonia.
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The National Tertiary Office was established with the goal of creating a more unified tertiary education system and is part of a wider reform agenda aimed at ensuring that Ireland's further and higher education system is well-equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Fiona's role includes leading the development of the office's strategic plan, overseeing its implementation and providing strategic direction and leadership in the development of tertiary programmes and arrangements. A key element of this role focuses on maximising the impact of initiatives aimed at enhancing the pathways for students from Further Education and Training to Higher Education. Fiona has responsibility for creating and strengthening strategic and regional partnership arrangements between Education and Training Boards and Higher Education Institutions to allow learners to progress in a clear, seamless manner between FE and HE with pathways that are clearly defined and easily accessed.
AHEAD, an Irish NGO establish in 1988 which is dedicated to creating inclusive environments for people with disabilities in education and employment. Dara became CEO in 2020 having previously managed AHEAD’s digital presence where he developed a suite of online CPD programmes relating to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and inclusive practice in his role as Digital Media and eLearning Manager. His research interests include examining the participation of students with disabilities in higher education, exploring the learning experiences and desires of students with disabilities, and examining the implementation of Universal Design and UDL in policy and practice.
After graduating from Queens University in 2005, Dara joined Dun Laoghaire College of Further Education as a lecturer, where he became interested in inclusive education when working first-hand with students with disabilities in his classroom. When the opportunity arose in 2008, he joined AHEAD where he has been working ever since on creating inclusive environments in education and employment for people with disabilities.
Formerly Director of Organisational Support and Development at MSLETB, Tom previously held a number of senior management and operational posts within the organisation and has 30 years of experience in the Education and Training sector.
Natasha is an advocate of lifelong learning, graduating with an honours Master's in Training & Education and in Hospitality continuing post grads in HR/Business/Hospitality. Natasha has held a number of positions over 25 years in Industry while also gaining experience within the state agency Fáilte Ireland involving her in many skills projects nationally. For a decade Natasha held the role of CEO with the Irish Hospitality Institute, sitting on many industry boards, College Governing Bodies, National Advisory Groups and the National Apprenticeship Council.
Since 2016, Natasha has worked in the role of Regional Skills Manager, Dublin, an initiative under the now Department of Further and Higher Education which focuses on Training and Education while fostering engagement between industry and educational providers (both Further Ed & Higher Ed) in support of company and regional skills/talent needs.
