St. Brendan's Training Centre, Loughrea

"STEPPING STONES TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE"

St. Brendan’s is one of the longest established training centres in the country. It was established in 1979 by a group of voluntary workers. Initially the centre catered for 12 girls but was expanded in 1981 to include boys.

In the early years the centre was operated from rooms on the local health centre. When St. Brigid’s Vocational School moved to its new bigger premises in 1983 St. Brendan’s Training Centre was fortunate enough to acquire the old vocational school building where it still operates from today. The centre was jointly run by Co. Galway Vocational Education Committee and FÁS until 1998 when the former body took total responsibility for the operation for the operation of Senior Traveller Training Centres.

St. Brendan’s Training Centre is located in Abbey St., Loughrea, and caters for a maximum of thirty students aged from sixteen years and upwards. Virtually all are early school leavers who are unable to cope with or benefit from the conventional school system.

Provision has also been made to train and educate people in the upper age bracket who now have their families raised and are trying to gain entry into the workplace. The centre provides a holistic approach to the needs of the students. Education, training, personal development and work experience are interlinked and specifically designed to suit the individual needs of the students. The management and staff are keenly aware of the needs of the travelling community. Traveller culture is very important to the trainees and staff attend various in-service seminars in an attempt to update their knowledge of the culture they are dealing with on a day to day basis.

The aim of the centre is to help students develop their full potential, to break the cycle of illiteracy and social deprivation in which they are trapped and to enable students as soon as possible to become self-reliant and supporting members of society while at the same time recognising their culture.                       

The course endeavours to encourage and develop the skills and attitudes required to reach the standard of a ‘good’ and employable worker therefore a key element of the course is in its training approach or the method which is central to student movement and participation.

An informal holistic approach is used as opposed to a rigid one as students need a lot of enticement and encouragement to take that “one big step forward” necessary for him/her to attend the training centre.

NO. OF STAFF :Nine (4 Permanent - 4 Eligible Part Time - 1 Part Time)

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[Sandy Road Galway] [Madonna House Ballinasloe] [Ballygar Galway] [St. Brendan's Loughrea] [St. Benin's Tuam] [St Anne's Killarney] [St. Canice's Portlaoise] [St. Joseph's Carrick-on-Shannon] [Fealeside Abbeyfeale] [Riverside Rathkeale] [St. Mel's Longford] [Tara Dundalk]
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[Youth Dev Proj Thurles] [Shannon Bank Athlone] [Mullingar] [Ross Youth New Ross]
[St. Kieran's Bray] [Centre of Education Wicklow]
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