SOLAS Celebrates Inspirational Women in FET at International Women's Day Staff Event

SOLAS/05.03.2025

We had a truly special afternoon celebrating inspirational women in Further Education and Training (FET) and Apprenticeships at our International Women's Day staff event today.

"FET is for everyone." SOLAS CEO Andrew Brownlee and SOLAS Board member, Catrina Sheridan opened the event in conversation with Director of Communications, Branding & FET Strategy Implementation, Maria Walshe, reflecting on the developments within SOLAS and the FET sector. With one in ten people in Ireland engaged in FET and Apprenticeships, they highlighted SOLAS' ambition to further widen access to one in five people.

We came away with amazing insights from our incredible women in FET panellists, who shared their stories in conversation with our SOLAS Communications colleague, Mary Saunders.

"Be you, everyone else is taken." wise words from Chelsea Lyons, Colaiste Ide College of Further Education FET Graduate who is now a first year law and history student at DCU. Chelsea highlighted how confidence and self-belief was a huge driving force in her educational journey after she left school. Since beginning her university course she has gone on to inspire her dad to follow in her footsteps and has recently started a FET course in Coláiste Íde.

"If you can't see it, you can't be it." Bridget Kelly, National Programme Manager, Traveller Apprenticeship, Incentivisation Programme, spoke about her the impact of her organisation's work in collaboration with a number of organisations in supporting Traveller women to overcome barriers to become apprentices. Amazing to see that within a year, the number of Traveller women enrolled in apprenticeships has gone from zero to four, with a huge amount of interest.

"I wanted to become a mentor because I wanted to have a positive impact on the people around me." Gay O'Connor works at SOLAS in IT Operations Support and recently won ‘Employee of the Year’ National Diversity & Inclusion Awards this year. Gay shared how her experience as a member of SOLAS’ inside/outside choir collaboration with Mountjoy Prison, known as the InHouse Harmony choir, led her to train to become a workplace mentor.

"Mind the ladder for women." Dr Lindsay Malone, Director of Further Education and Training at Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board spoke about her journey through education to a leadership role within FET. For Lindsay supporting other women through mentorship is absolutely key, highlighting that when it comes to recognising ability, "sometimes other people see it before you do."

Thank you to everyone who took part and those who joined us for an afternoon we won't forget.