For students and their parents, choosing third level study options ahead of the closing date for CAO applications on February 1 is never easy – there are a vast number of options to explore and many find themselves confused when it comes to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) related courses.
With over 6,000 students in Cork alone expected to sit their Leaving Certificate in 2018, www.SmartFutures.ie has all the information parents and students need on STEM careers.
There are diverse career areas open to students with STEM qualifications. The SFI Science in Ireland Barometer, which analysed the Irish public’s perceptions of STEM, revealed that there is a gap between parent’s high level of interest in STEM subjects and how informed they feel.
A Science Foundation Ireland-commissioned survey also found that 62% of first-year college students said that 'fitting in' was the biggest factor influencing their study choices, ranking higher than other factors such as career prospects and course requirements.
Smart Futures is coordinated and managed by Science Foundation Ireland, in partnership with over 200 organisations from research and academia.
Parents are encouraged to visit the parent resources section on www.SmartFutures.ie to help them to explore STEM career and study options.
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By Daragh Ó ConchúirSarah Gillane may be relatively new to the Limerick camogie squad, but the Patrickswell goalkeeper is already happy to adopt a leadership role.Just completing her first year in full-time teaching - at Árd Scoil Rís, the all-boys secondary school where her older brothers Aaron and Jason, and many other Limerick hurlers of the present and past developed their skills - Gillane is a natural mentor.German may be her official subject of expertise but helping, advising and developing up-and-comers outside of the classroom is a passion. She is currently helping out with the U6s at the ‘Well’, while coaching with the first year hurling team at school, where she also is involved with the hockey squad.Although a member of the Limerick junior panel that reached the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland final in her Leaving Cert year of 2019, the 25-year-old did not get the call-up to the senior squad until last season.She had been Patrickswell captain in 2024, however, and played a key role last term, when the blue and gold ribbons were added to not just the Limerick Intermediate Championship trophy but also, last November, the Munster junior cup.She has carried her form through to this season and her display in the Munster semi-final loss to subsequent champions Tipperary earned rave reviews, such was the calibre of her shot stopping.Gillane acknowledges that things went well for her on the day, but self-deprecatingly observes that it was due. She prefers to emphasise how much of a boost it was to be in the mix so long against Tipp, regulars in the last four of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship.PUSHING STANDARDSIt came on the back of a promising Very League Division 1B campaign, where David Deady’s crew finished third. With a young squad and the long-serving Caoimhe Costelloe after taking a year out to volunteer at the Cheshire Home for Children with Special Needs in Zambia, it was a very encouraging return.“We knew going into the Tipperary game that they bring huge intensity and huge experience,” Gillane relates.“They always do, but it was great to be able to match their energy and their work rate for periods of the game, especially when we’re looking at them being a (Division) 1A team. And that is the goal, that’s what you’re looking to achieve, and it’s great to get the chance to play teams like that to see where you are at.“I was only saying to some of the girls a number of weeks ago, that maybe I hadn’t pulled off as many saves as I would have wanted to earlier on in the year, and it just happens then when they all kind of come at once. And I suppose you’ll expect that when you’re playing a team like Tipperary with such experience, but that pushes us to strive and set our standards as well. And it’s a testament to our backs that maybe we weren’t in that situation all too often before that game.”THE EVOLUTION OF THE GAMEGoalkeeping has evolved in recent years and has an obvious role model in Jason and the legend that is keeping her brother out of the starting Limerick team, Nickie Quaid. But if it weren’t for Jason’s drive, Quaid might not have to keep improving. And pair’s enduring commitment to excellence, at 36 and nearly 37, is an inspiration “I played out the field when was younger, and it was coming out of U12, maybe into the 14s with the older girls, I was put in goals, but it was never something I particularly enjoyed when I was younger. Over time, when you see improvements happening, and when you can work that bit harder, you know what is there.“Looking at Jason in goals and Nickie Quaid with the hurlers, it’s great, it’s motivation behind it all, and you can see what it does, what these goalies put in, in order to get the results, because inevitably it’s an important role as well.”HUGE SACRIFICESAnd that applies to Aaron too of course, one of three hurlers of the year to come out of Patrickswell in recent years, along with Cian Lynch and Diarmaid Byrnes. Gillane and her family have relished the journey of Limerick winning five of the last eight All-Ireland senior hurling titles. And she sees no negatives either for camogie in the county.“At home, seeing what Aaron and Jason put into it, and what they offer to their teams, and what they sacrifice, it’s really a motivation. It’s what we need to do. To achieve such greatness that they have, it’s absolutely fantastic.“We know how special those days were. We relish these games and the winning streak that they have been on. It’s about appreciating that, how lucky we are to be in this place. You know, Limerick had gone so long without such success.“I think there’s been a massive mindset switch in the last few years in Limerick camogie. I think over the years, maybe there’s been a bit of a roller coaster, but I think it’s all really positive now, and there’s a serious drive in the group. We know what we can do and it’s a matter of putting that across in all these games that we have the opportunity to play.“We’re short of nothing. It’s not like, ‘The boys have this and we don’t.’ We have absolutely everything offered to us, which is absolutely fantastic. We have our gym facilities, we have everything going. We can ask for nothing at the moment and that puts us in a good position.”KILKENNY ON SATURDAYTheir All-Ireland Championship campaign kicks off tomorrow with a trip to UPMC Nowlan Park (3.30pm) to play Kilkenny, who only missed out marginally on score difference to eventual winners Galway on a place in the Division 1A League decider.It is a difficult opening but Gillane likes the new structure, which separates last year’s semi-finalists from the rest, who battle it off in a round-robin to secure two quarter-final spots.“I think it’s, it’s a very good system that they have in place. It allows us to get multiple games back-to-back over the course of the next few weeks, and that alone will bring great enthusiasm for the team. And we have a goal set then, and you know we’re trying to make that latter stages in the Championship, but it’s nice to play the teams that we’re more familiar with at the start, and we can develop on as we go.“(Tomorrow will) show us a lot of where we’re at, at the moment, and we know Kilkenny will bring huge intensity, but we’re focusing mainly on what we can do for ourselves and making sure we set our standards, our workrate, our energy, our scoring opportunities, our rucks. Like, if we perform to our standards, we feel that we can really compete.“We want to embrace the occasion. Playing with this group of girls and representing Limerick is something we’re all extremely proud of. Championship is what you train all year for, so we’re really excited to get going.”
