Call for investment in training on logistics awards night

Call for investment in training on logistics awards night

The President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Ireland (CILT) Paul Mallee, has said that professional development in the areas of transport and logistics is vital to the continued presence of many of the multinational companies based in Ireland.

Accordingly Mr Mallee called on the Government to maintain funding for lifelong learning courses such as those offered by the CILT to allow professionals up-skill and provide them with the necessary knowledge to develop their capabilities for a sector that is crucial to the competitiveness of the national economy.

Mr Mallee was speaking in response to a keynote address by the Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe TD, at the CILT Annual Dinner in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin.

Mr Mallee commented, 'as a Nation, we should work towards and support the concept of continuous professional development to foster and grow the knowledge economy we have created. 

'Historically, FAS provided funding of up to 70% for students enrolled on our Diploma and Certificate programmes. Our National economic circumstances have seen this support fall away recently but I sincerely hope that a return to these vital funding mechanisms will coincide with any upturn in the economy.

'The professional qualifications that we offer are unique, and benefit the entire economy. The supply chains that our students learn to manage belong to some of the many celebrated multinational companies who have decided to locate here in Ireland precisely because of the specialist training, education, and dedication of our workforce.

'Our economy must ensure that this expertise is fostered and developed so as to ensure the continued presence of many of the multinational companies that are currently supporting our economy, and provide our best hope of building towards recovery.

'I would like to appeal, therefore, to the Government to maintain funding for training and lifelong learning courses such as those we operate to ensure that professionals are equipped with the necessary skills for recovery. I am fully aware of the new financial reality, but I think that if education and the development of the smart economy are the priorities, then we should continue to resource the education sector to the best of our abilities.'

Also announced on the night were the CILT's prestigious Eastern Section Awards - Innovator of the Year and Idea of the Year.

Innovator of the Year was presented by Minister of Education Batt O’Keeffe TD to the two Directors of Cab Call Communications: John O’Loughlin Kennedy and Paul O’Loughlin Kennedy (father & son).  Their submission entitled A quicker safer way to get a taxi showed an innovative fully automatic system which has a secure audit trail for linking taxi seekers via their mobile phones to taxi drivers who are unoccupied and located already in the same or adjoining mobile phone cells.

Monica Murphy (CILT's Eastern Section Chairperson) remarked how Cab Call Communications detailed submission was a perfect example of how technology and a creative idea can play a key role in serving the needs of our society while also providing a valuable contribution to helping our environment.

Through the Eastern Section Student Idea of the Year Awards, the CILT gives recognition to students who have developed innovative ideas which can make a significant contribution to the logistics & transport Industry in Ireland. This year has seen the biggest amount of submissions in the history of the Awards ranging from colleges and universities all over Ireland. Monica Murphy announced that the Winners of the Student Idea of the Year Award were Kane O’Shea, John Mitchell and Eoin Leonard from the National University of Ireland Galway for their entry Electronic warnings on dangerous bends.

The night also saw the inaugural Lecturer of the Year Award, which aims to recognise the work of a lecturer who aims to promote innovation and creativity in the areas of Logistics, Transport and Commerce. This year’s award was presented by Minister of Education Batt O’Keeffe TD to Mary Dempsey, B.E., M.Eng.Sc., MIEI, of NUI Galway.

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