All About Cork: Bishopstown apprentice named 'building hero'

Electrical apprentice Kerrie Anne named ‘building hero’

Cork College of FET — Bishopstown Campus has congratulated its recent General Apprentices’ Electrical Apprentice of the Year winner Kerrie Anne Fitzgerald, who has been named a “building hero” by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science.

Building Heroes is a social media campaign aimed at dispelling myths about what a career in construction is really like.

Over two, three-month bursts, a group of young apprentices, trainees, and graduates document on social media what their training and work entails.

The campaign gives young people an opportunity to see how their peers are learning to help deliver homes and buildings that will benefit society for generations to come.

The department said that there has been real progress made in recent years, with more than 33,000 houses built in 2023 — 12,000 of which were social housing — but that, as it seeks to build more homes, it has to ensure that there are more people working within the industry.

Congratulating Kerrie Anne on social media, Cork College of FET — Bishopstown Campus acknowledged her recent win.

A 22-year-old Phase 6 electrical apprentice who works with the maintenance team at Freefoam Building Products, Kerrie Anne said sharing the apprenticeship experience is a huge passion of hers. She said she loves to advocate the many doors that are opened through an apprenticeship.

The sector that she works in is industrial, so her job is mostly focused on repairing machines and preventative maintenance in a factory setting. However, she gets to work on a wide variety of machines each day and rarely sees the same problem twice.

Kerrie Anne said she cannot get enough of learning about the electrical trade and improving her skills, and she is excited to see where this journey takes her.

Breakfast event at MTU

The Munster Technological University will host a breakfast event for enterprises and community groups throughout the southwest region today, giving businesses the opportunity to meet with MTU representatives.

The Connect with MTU event will take place at the MTU Bishopstown campus and will include a series of workshops and lab tours.

MTU professor Irene Sheridan said: “Organisations are searching for talent and new ideas in a complex, competitive world and universities are charged with supporting regional businesses and social endeavours in a measurable and meaningful way.

“To achieve these aims and make a difference we have to come together and talk.”

The event will give businesses and organisations the opportunity to meet with the experts and consider how to progress their interaction.

Feast of tennis at doubles open

Hundreds of players and supporters have been gathering in Bishopstown this week for the Bishopstown Lawn Tennis Club Senior Doubles Open.

In what is the biggest open ever held at the club and the biggest open in Munster, close to 40 hours of tennis will be played and more than 470 players will participate in the event.

Players from all across Cork have been descending on the club since Friday last for a week of non-stop tennis, which will conclude with finals day this Saturday.

This year’s main sponsor was Bishopstown Credit Union. Other sponsors include Court Care, which sponsored court one; Cummins Sports, which sponsored court two; Matt Britton, which sponsored court three; and D&B Electrical, which sponsored court four.

BLTC club captain Rosita Murphy said: “We are delighted to welcome players from all over Cork to compete in the BLTC Senior Open. This has been a fantastic week and we were delighted to open our doors to tennis players and supporters who will come to enjoy the fun and competition.”

Clearstream sponsor MTU Cork’s Student GAA Club

Clearstream, one of Deutsche Börse Group’s branches in Cork, has been announced as sponsor for MTU’s Cork Campus Student GAA Club. 

The partnership will provide financial assistance to two deserving student athletes by enabling them to pursue their academic and athletic aspirations and support MTU Cork Campus GAA Club by enhancing its existing programmes and a strong commitment to the education and social inclusion principles promoted by the university.

MTU Cork Campus GAA Club has 630 active members and comprises of two ladies football teams, one camogie team, five hurling teams, five football teams and a handball team, with membership reaching 105 clubs and communities across 12 different counties.

MTU GAA development officer Kevin O’Callaghan said: “MTU Student GAA Club is delighted to have Clearstream as our sponsor for the year ahead. We share similar organisational values and look forward to developing a relationship that will benefit us both this year and in future years.

“Our teams will wear the Clearstream logo on our home and away jerseys with pride.

Vacancy and dereliction events

A series of public drop-in vacancy and dereliction sessions to provide information to members of the public on the supports available to refurbish vacant and derelict properties were held at both Bishopstown Library and Blackpool Library recently.

Cork City Council held the informal drop-in sessions for those with questions on any element of a vacant or derelict property, from grants available to queries on planning or ownership, or any other issue that may be preventing return to use.

Following the drop-in sessions, a major stakeholder and public event is planned for May 24 in the form of a seminar on the evolving challenges and supports available to bring vacant and derelict properties back into use.

The ‘Urban Fabric: Addressing Dereliction & Vacancy’ event is in its second year and will be held at St Peter’s Church on North Main Street.

There will be Cork City Council speakers and external experts such as Kieran McCarthy of RTÉ’s Cheap Irish Homes, covering a different aspect of the dereliction and vacancy issues

A limited number of public spaces to join the invited industry are available to book on www.eventbrite.ie.

Lions Club climate seminar

The Bishopstown and District Lions Club recently held an online seminar addressing the critical theme of climate change.

The seminar, titled ‘The Effects of Climate Change Nationally and Abroad And What Measures Are We Doing To Reduce Its Impacts’ offered an insightful discussion on climate change and its impacts. Geared specifically towards transition year students and their Northern Ireland equivalents, the seminar aimed to engage young minds in understanding and addressing the challenges posed by climate change.

Event organiser and member of Bishopstown Lions Club, Michael O’Brien, said: “We believe educating and empowering our youth is crucial in tackling the issue of climate change.