Drogheda Institute of Further Education has been announced as the overall winner of the “Best Provider of Further Education in Ireland” award at the ‘Education Awards 2024’ gala awards ceremony in Kildare on 25 th April.
This prestigious award, which is open to all providers of further education in Ireland recognises excellence in the provision of education in this sector.
DIFE was also shortlisted for ‘Best Industry Academic Collaboration’ and ‘Best Industry/Business – Academic Collaboration’ for their innovative AWS Data Technician programme.
The judging panel benchmark providers against a set of criteria including innovation, partnerships and collaborations, infrastructure, teaching and learning, student experience, employment statistics and alumni relations. Commenting,
Principal of DIFE, Davy McDonnell, said: “Winning this award is great recognition of the hard work and dedication of our wonderful teaching staff in DIFE. Our ambition is to be the leading provider of further education in Ireland and our teachers work tirelessly each year to ensure the best educational experience and outcomes for our students”.
Deputy Principal, Shane Williams, said: “At Drogheda Institute, we strive to ensure our students are provided with excellent opportunities to succeed in their learning.
“Our experienced teachers, unrivalled range of courses, diverse student population and state of the art campus makes DIFE a unique environment for students to progress to their future careers. We are thrilled to win this award for the fourth time as it acknowledges the collective effort of our students, staff and college community.”
Over the last year DIFE has further progressed with many new initiatives including a new partnership with DCU for progression and tertiary provision, the implementation of Erasmus+ programmes for students and staff and the development of new exciting courses including the commencement of a traineeship in Dental Nursing and the introduction of the National Sales Apprenticeship. The college has been hugely successful in providing varied, responsive and successful FET programmes supporting many learners in their career path.
Drogheda Institute of Further Education is the largest Further Education and Training (FET) provider in the North East Region providing a wide range of FE (Further Education) courses to school leavers and adults returning to education. It offers a diverse range of over sixty full time courses across the following disciplines Art, Design & Technology, Business Humanities & IT, Sports, Leisure & Tourism, Applied Science and Community & Healthcare.
An increasing number of students are choosing to study a one-year full time course in DIFE to enable them to upskill, gain relevant industry qualifications, work on obtaining progression scholarships, progress to further and higher education or as a pathway to direct employment.
Work placement in every course ensures students are in a position to make an informed career decision and develop excellent collaboration with local employers. Applications for the full time courses starting in September 2024 are currently open, check out the college website at www.dife.ie to apply. Apply early to avoid disappointment!
