Career Guidance at CCC
Ms Mary Kelleher has been a dedicated teacher since 1993 and has been working as a Guidance Counsellor since 2008.
At CCC, career exploration begins in Transition Year, where students undertake aptitude tests to identify their strengths and potential career paths.
Each student is invited to meet with Ms Kelleher to discuss the various options available to them. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend these meetings to ensure a supportive environment. In class, students engage in activities designed to link their interests, personalities, and values with potential career choices. As part of this process, each student completes an in-depth career investigation, which they present to their classmates.
The latter part of Transition Year focuses on essential skills for entering the workforce, including CV creation and interview preparation. Mock interviews, conducted in May, give students the opportunity to practice their interview skills with local business professionals, allowing them to apply the theory learned in class in a real-world setting.
In the Fifth Year, career development continues with weekly career talks held every Friday. These sessions feature speakers from universities, technological universities, colleges of further education, SOLAS, and various industries, offering valuable insights and guidance to our students.
For Sixth Year students, Ms Kelleher is available to provide assistance with a range of important tasks, including:
- CAO applications
- HEAR & DARE schemes
- FET college applications
- Apprenticeship research
- UCAS applications
- European college applications
- SUSI grant applications
- Scholarship and bursary applications
- CV writing
- Personal statement writing
- Interview coaching
In both Fifth and Sixth Year, students are encouraged to attend events such as Career Options Cork and the Open Days at Munster Technological University (MTU) and University College Cork (UCC). All open days and similar events are promoted on Microsoft Teams to keep students informed of upcoming opportunities.
In addition to her work at CCC, Ms Kelleher also volunteers at the Family Resource Centre (FRC) in Carrigtwohill on Wednesday afternoons, where she provides adult guidance services to the local community.
