THE success of graduates of Enniskillen Campus was highlighted by the college’s Head of Equine Education Seamus McAlinney on Wednesday when he spoke at this year’s awards ceremony.
The first equine students graduated from Enniskillen in 1998 and almost 700 students have since obtained diplomas or university degrees. The college keeps in touch with their former students and McAlinney said that some 94% of the graduates are either directly employed in the equine industry or working with horses.
Three-quarters of the ex-students are in Ireland with the remainder mainly employed in Britain, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. A specially pleasing figure revealed is that 68% of the graduates are working at management or supervisory level, a number that compares favourably with other education providers.
He spoke about the past year and the many successes and highlights achieved by the students in Enniskillen. The college has developed a number of internships within the industry and the success of the initial contact with Coolmore was stressed, with the first participant Adam Nesbitt being associated with a Ballydoyle juvenile winner at Royal Ascot.
Horse Racing Ireland also sponsored a couple of internships, while the latest programme announced is an 11-month placement with The Irish Field. Leanne O’Sullivan from the Curragh takes up this appointment on July 1st. McAlinney also spoke about the strong links the college has with Darley.
EQUINE ALUMNI
At the conclusion of his address McAlinney announced the setting up of Enniskillen Equine Alumni, which already has about 250 former students as members. He named the various top student award winners and in equine these were Caroline Chambers, Emma Clarke, Megan McGrory and Nicole Farrell.
College director Dr John Fay, a recent recipient of an OBE at Buckingham Palace, addressed the large gathering of students, parents and friends of the college. He encouraged students to continue with their education and personal development, saying that “education is a lifetime’s journey. You are never too old to learn and there are many opportunities to continue with your education. I would encourage you to seize them when they come along.”
He added: “I am firmly convinced that workforce skills development underpins all economic development. I would encourage those of you who are celebrating success today to continually challenge yourself. This will help you develop the competitive edge that you need to advance your career in the equine industry.”
Fay emphasised the importance of the links which the college has developed within the equine sector, paying special tribute to Geoff Cannon who is chairman of the Equine Council for Northern Ireland. The college had received huge support from the members of that body, as well as from the College Advisory Group.
Bursaries form an important role within the college and these are sponsored by Coolmore Stud, Danske Bank, Giltspur Scientific Ltd, Horse Sport Ireland, Horse Racing Ireland, the Irish Farmers Journal, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, the Northern Ireland Horse Board and Tyrone Farming Society.
In welcoming the guest speaker on the day, Professor Patrick Wall, Dr Fay welcomed the new strategy for the Irish sport horse industry, Reaching New Heights, which was launched in conjunction with Teagasc and the Royal Dublin Society. He spoke of enhancing Ireland’s reputation as the land of the horse and of working with all stakeholders to help position Ireland as an internationally-recognised centre for equine education, training and technology transfer.