A NEW Partnership in Sustainability Programme was launched on Wednesday between Mannok and Mount Lourdes Grammar School as part of the company’s wider Educational Programme.

The five-year partnership was officially launched at the school by Mannok’s Chief Executive Officer, Liam McCaffrey; school principal, Sinead Cullen; and Education Minister, Michele McIlveen.

School students and staff were joined by local politicians, school governors and representatives from Mannok at the event.

The partnership will involve cross-curricular collaboration between Mannok and a number of departments in the school, focusing primarily on Geography and Careers, but extending to include other subjects, such as Science, Art and ICT, with a financial commitment from Mannok over the next five years to support the development of the school’s ICT facilities.

This is the third partnership of its kind established by Mannok, that has a Centre of Excellence Partnership with St. Michael’s College, Enniskillen, and more recently established a Business Insights Partnership with St. Aidan’s High School, Derrylin.

The theme of the partnership with Mount Lourdes is ‘sustainability’ – a key area of focus for Mannok which will cover environmental, economic and social sustainability, bringing real-life learning to the curriculum and giving students and teaching staff at the school a range of opportunities to work with the Mannok team.

Liam McCaffrey was delighted with the new partnership, saying: “This five-year partnership will allow us to build strong working relationships with the school which will be of mutual benefit and allow us to create opportunities for the students to play their part in growing the economic prosperity of their local community.

“As a large employer in this region, we have a very important role to play in supporting the local economy and helping to sustain a skilled workforce for the benefit of our own organisation and the wider business and social needs of this area.

“For us, making deep-rooted connections with the local educational establishments and the potential future workforce at an early stage is crucial to retain our best local talent and ensure we can achieve that longer-term goal.

“When it comes to our schools partnerships, the key to a really successful and mutually beneficial partnership requires a great deal of commitment from both parties and the formation of close working relationships.”

He continued: “Having already seen impressive energy and commitment from both sides, I have great confidence that this will be another successful venture which we’re very much looking forward to progressing.”

Over the next five years, Mannok will provide financial assistance to the school, but it will collaborate closely with the teaching staff, particularly in the Geography and Careers departments to deliver a series of practical supports to enhance the educational framework by bringing real-life learning and exposure to practical insights to the students.

Sinead Cullen explained how the school and students will benefit from the partnership, saying: “The first-hand access to the expertise and facilities at Mannok will be invaluable for both our students and teaching staff, who will work closely with the company to deliver a number of events, such as focused site visits, discussion forums and case study sessions for our GCSE and A-level Geography students as part of their sponsorship of the Geography Department.

“There will also be a great deal of collaboration on our Careers Programme, where Mannok will provide paid work placements, mock interview skills and CV preparation sestsions.

“This type of blended learning will bring a new dimension to the educational framework for the students and staff involved which will enrich the learning experience for the girls, and bring real-life experiences which just can’t be achieved through classroom learning alone.

“We’re delighted to agree such a comprehensive partnership with Mannok, and are very excited to be working closely with them over the next five years.”

The first collaborative initiative of the partnership has already demonstrated how the theme of sustainability will cross over into other departments within the school, with a cross-curricular project to study the kestrels nesting in one of Mannok’s quarries via Ireland’s first live-streaming ‘Kestrel Cam’.

Speaking at yesterday morning’s launch, new Education Minister, Michelle McIlveen, said: “”Mannok and everyone here at Mount Lourdes clearly recognise the importance of the relationship between education providers, the community and successful local industry.

“This partnership demonstrates a shared interest in and shared responsibility for the young people of this area.

“I’d also like to commend the management and staff of Mannok. It’s encouraging to see an established local employer interacting with its local community, sharing its knowledge and expertise, building relationships with the school and, most importantly, valuing young people.”