Adrian Brown
Diagnosed with a heart condition when he was just 5, the Strabane man spent weeks at a time in and out of hospital, missing valuable years of early schooling.
He left school with very few qualifications, with the notion that through bad luck he had missed out.
However when he turned 40, Adrian found out about a community education course run by North West Regional College (NWRC) at the Strabane Community Unemployment Group. It was a turning point.
Six years-on and life has completely changed for the Strabane man.
“Before I finished my course at NWRC, I received an offer from LYIT (now ATU Donegal) for a place in a BA Honours degree in Graphic and Digital Design. I graduated with a 2.1 ordinary bachelor's degree on the 22nd January 2021.
" We must remain optimistic in the face of adversity, and we must have hope for the future. “
Debbie Pearson
Debbie, from Raphoe, graduated with a first-class honours Level 8 degree in Fashion with Promotion from ATU in October 2022, after being crowned as a Designer of the Year for her programme in summer 2021.
It all started with a part-time QQI Level 5 Art Craft and Design course at Donegal ETB’s Further Education and Training (FET) Service. As soon as she joined the classes at Donegal ETB in Stranorlar, she felt right at home.
“I’m so happy that I’ve got this far. The ETB course was one of the best things I could have done. Without it, I never would have gone to college. It opened the doors for me.”
Dr Chris McEleney
Chris was 14 years old when he left school to start a carpentry apprenticeship working before emigrating to Boston at just 19.
In 2005, he moved home but the recession of 2009 convinced Chris that he needed to get a qualification. He decided to do his Leaving Certificate through Donegal ETB's FET Service in 2010.
In 2016 he graduated with an Honours Degree in Science from LYIT (now ATU Donegal) and continued his studies through a research Masters that he completed in 2018. For the next four years, Chris completed the research for his PhD in Electrochemistry.
“Once I started back in school, I was hooked”
“When I got my Leaving Cert results, I wanted to keep going. I had fallen in love with science and started looking at courses in Letterkenny.”
Dr Marinus Toman
After completing a plumbing apprenticeship during the 2012 financial crisis, I realised plumbing wasn’t a viable career at the time. With high unemployment and few job prospects, I decided to start over. Joining LYIT (now ATU) in 2014 to study Cloud Computing was the right choice. The skills I gained, like problem-solving and communication, were invaluable.
Encouraged by my lecturers, I pursued a PhD in Computational Neuroscience at Ulster University, completing it in 2022. I then taught Data Science and Computer Science at Ulster for three years. I’ve returned to ATU as a Lecturer in the Computing Department.
"My career has now come full circle within a decade since making that first decision to change career path in 2014".
Behishta Mohibi
Behishta Mohibi, a young Afghan woman living in Letterkenny, began her Irish education journey with Donegal ETB’s Further Education and Training (FET) Service.
Fleeing Afghanistan, she initially couldn’t speak English but pursued a Leaving Cert for Adults at Donegal ETB’s Letterkenny FET Centre (Port Road).
Ambitiously, she continued with a Business Studies PLC at Errigal College, earning the PLC class award and trophy. With career guidance from Donegal ETB, she planned her route to higher education and is currently studying for a Bachelor of Honours in Business and Accounting at ATU Donegal.
“Life is not easy but I am very proud of what I have achieved.”
Louise Mc Girr
Louise hadn’t done art in school, but always had an interest in art and design. Four years ago she decided to sign up for a one-year course at Errigal College in Letterkenny. That decision has since led her to further education and then third level, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Animation at ATU Donegal in 2023.
Louise gained much more than an art skill. The PLC course became the launchpad she needed to be confident in her work as an artist and as a student.
“Donegal ETB was very good at guiding us to look up colleges and opportunities for going directly into work.”
“We researched what we would like to do after the PLC and I thought I would keep up art as a hobby, but when I came across animation I saw the broad career you can have.
“You are not too old and it’s not too late. It changed everything for me.”
Pierce Butler
Pierce aged 26, completed a Law degree at ATU in 2022. He didn’t take the usual route to college, having left post-primary school in fourth year. Pierce’s path was through a programme called Youthreach provided through Donegal ETB’s Further Education and Training (FET) Service, and it suited him perfectly.
The young Falcarragh man dealt with illness during post-primary school. He decided to leave school, but he didn’t really want his academic time to be over yet. With the encouragement of an Advocate in Youthreach he continued learning and gained a QQI Level 3 and 4 qualifications, which helped him begin his journey through the Access programme at ATU.
“The funny thing about Youthreach for me, towards the end of it, I was more happy with how much I developed as a person, not just by getting back into the academic side of it, I developed in confidence, people skills, and things that are important in life”