There’s an educational institution in Ireland where graduates have achieved 10 Oscar nominations and two golden statuettes. Any guesses?
Trinity College Dublin may be the highest-ranked Irish university, but Ballyfermot College of Further Education is in a league of its own when it comes to film and animation success.
Richard Baneham from Tallaght is one of its graduates. He went to Old Bawn Community School, progressed to Ballyfermot, before moving to Los Angeles with some of his classmates.
“My particular class was very lucky,” he told The Irish Times a few years ago. “We had a lot of friends who came over and made a network of Irish guys and girls. It makes it easier to be here. There’s always somebody in town and something on the go.”
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In 2023, he received his second academy award for visual effects on Avatar: The Way of Water.
Further education still suffers from a status problem. It is too often seen as “second best” or a fallback option rather than a first choice.
Solas chief executive Andrew Brownlee – the further education and training authority – says high achievers should think about further education and training options.
“It can’t be right that 100 per cent of school-leavers in some schools go directly to higher education,” he says. “It’s very possible that some of those academic high achievers may be more served in a creative, technical or practical role, which will help them to develop the skills that can take them anywhere.”
Further education can be a destination in itself, or it can provide a route to higher education.
There is a range of pre-university foundation courses including nursing, arts or business where, if you get certain results, there is a guaranteed route on to a degree course.
For students completing their exams, it is a good time to consider all options on Fetch courses or Qualifax.
Exams
In the meantime, the State Examinations Commission grinds it way onwards. There were two big exams earlier today: physics and accounting.
Physics provided a challenging test for students, while accounting was well-received, even if many students were under real-time pressure.
Up tomorrow it’s design and communication graphics (9.30-12.30pm) and music (1.30-3pm) with a later finish for music composing (4.45pm) and listening (5.45pm)
Clean-up
Meanwhile, as students begin to wrap up the last of their exams, parents are rediscovering kitchen tables and countertops buried under dog-eared notes, plastic folders and study timetables.
In Patricia Gabetto’s case, it’s been a little bit more extreme. Her daughter Elena started making biology posters last year and hung them on her bedroom wall.
“Then she ran out of wall space and progressed to the hall,” says Gabetto. “They were on the wall for a whole year. Everyone is happy she is done with the exams now.”
If biology doesn’t work out, maybe a career in offbeat, exam-themed interior design awaits?
How are we doing?
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