Inside knowledge for our teachers

TEACHERS from local schools visited the Northern Bank and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) recently, as part of the CCEA Teacher Insight Visits programme that supports the Learning for Life and Work (LLW) area of the curriculum.

The Insight Visits are to organisations specifically selected outside the education sector and these employers are very willing to engage with CCEA in these initiatives hosting events specifically tailored to the LLW and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) agendas.

This forward-thinking initiative from CCEA allows teachers from throughout the province to pass on new-found insights of prominent local organisations to their pupils.

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For instance, at PRONI, teachers went behind the scenes to the storage vaults and enjoyed an interesting presentation from staff on conserving and storing documents. Also, an Economist and Web Manager from the Northern Bank gave teachers an interesting insight into their respective roles.

Vivienne Bannon, Learning for Life and Work at CCEA, commented: “These events, hosted by local employers expose teachers to areas that they would not normally come across and afford them a behind-the-scenes look at organisations. These visits have proved to be very popular - both with schools and organisations - and we look forward to organising more in the coming year.”

Judith Rogers, History, Maths and Careers teacher at Ballyclare High, commented: “I was at the PRONI insight day and found the experience to be very interesting and informative.

“I will be able to provide my pupils with a variety of first-hand examples of work-life at this local company. I have no doubt that it will inspire and open up more career options for them.”

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Rosamond Bennett, Head of Communications at Northern Bank, added: “It was a pleasure hosting this event for teachers at the Northern Bank and providing them with an exclusive tour.

“We hope their experiences will enlighten their students and show them there is a lot more to local banking than they might otherwise have thought. I would encourage other organisations to take part in future teacher insight days.”