New electrical apprenticeship workshops and classrooms open in Carlow

Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB), has announced the official opening of two new electrical Workshops and four new classrooms at its College of Further Education and Training Campus at Purcellsinch Industrial Estate, Kilkenny City.

The launch event took place on Tuesday, marking a significant milestone in KCETB’s commitment to the ongoing growth of apprenticeship training in Kilkenny and Carlow.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was led by Cllr Andrea Dalton, Chair of KCETB, who was joined by other members of the Board, the Chief Executive of KCETB, Eileen Curtis, Director of Further Education and Training, Martha Bolger and KCETB Staff to celebrate this exciting development. A total of 112 electrical apprentices will attend this facility for the second phase of their Electrical Apprenticeship in 2025.

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The opening event also celebrated the exceptional achievements of three local apprentices.

• Quentin Smyth of Burnside Autocyl in Carlow, who won a Gold Medal in Polymechanics Automation at the WorldSkills competition held in the RDS, Dublin in September 2024.
• Sam Greene of Magna International Autolaunch Ireland Ltd, who was also awarded with a gold medal in the Toolmaking competition at WorldSkills.
• Samantha Byrne of Vanilla Hair Design in Carlow, who was awarded the Workplace Mentor of the Year Award at the 2024 National Apprenticeship Awards.

These achievements represent the excellence that KCETB aims to foster through its apprenticeship programmes, and their achievements were honoured as part of the launch event at Purcellsinch.

“We are incredibly proud of the success of our apprentices and these new facilities represent a significant investment in the future of apprenticeship training in Kilkenny and Carlow,” said Eileen Curtis, CE of KCETB.

“As an organisation, we are committed to supporting the growth of skilled trades and providing our learners with the tools and knowledge they need to excel in their careers. The new workshops and classrooms will play a crucial role in this vision.”

The expansion of this campus as part of the College of FET, underpins the organisation’s ongoing efforts to enhance its apprenticeship offerings, helping local communities develop the next generation of skilled craftspeople and professionals.