Coillte Planting a seed for a future in forestry with Duiske College students

Coillte, Ireland’s semi-state forestry company and Duiske College, in Graignamanagh, have recently completed the second year of participating in the Business Action on Education initiative, a nationwide scheme co-ordinated by Business in the Community (BITCI), which aims to develop partnerships between schools and businesses in Ireland in support of educational progression and inclusion.

Through the BITC World of Work programme, Coillte is collaborating with Duiske College to introduce its second-year students to the diverse career roles within Coillte and the wider Irish forestry sector.
Over a series of visits, the students have been introduced to the working world of Coillte and met with Coillte staff first-hand.

The class have visited Coillte’s OSB board manufacturing plant at Smartply Co. Waterford and also got to experience Coillte’s new recreation offering at Beyond the Trees in Avondale Forest Park in Co. Wicklow.
Both Coillte sites are interconnected, with boards made in the Smartply plant being used to create the new facilities at Avondale.

This partnership aims to offer students an insight into the forestry industry in Ireland, while also introducing topics such as sustainability to the students.

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The Duiske College students were particularly interested in the operational side of Coillte’s business. The visit to the Smartply plant showed how Coillte wood is processed and turned into panel board products.

At Beyond the Trees, in Avondale Forest Park, the students also had plenty of fun and got to meet the operational team who manage the facility and who maintain the forest park.

Throughout their time at both sites, the students learned about the multiple benefits of forests for climate, nature, wood, people and their local community.
“We see this as a new and exciting innovation for our students to complement their education,” Kevin Chesty, teacher at Duiske College, said.

“The programme provides them with an opportunity to learn transferable skills. It also promotes the idea of sustainability on a practical level. Overall, it helps the students see future options that would be available to them. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Coillte.”

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Second year student at Duiske College, Lucy Kennedy said she loved doing the Coillte programme. “I really enjoyed our visits to Smartply and Beyond the Trees, Avondale. The Coillte and Medite Smartply teams were very nice and shared loads of information with us.

“I also enjoyed doing the workshops because while being educational, they were also fun and interesting. The programme opened my eyes about the various roles involved in an organisation like Coillte. Overall, I really enjoyed the whole experience and I am glad that Coillte has chosen to get schools involved like this.”

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Alice Kavanagh, BITC Regional Coordinator said, “As regional coordinator I am delighted to see this dynamic partnership continue.
“ It has been wonderful to partner with Coillte to provide these students with an opportunity to see beyond the book learning, and learn all about sustainability in their own local area and the various career opportunities that are on their own doorstep.”