Donegal ETB FET Students Participate in WorldSkills Ireland 2022

A number of current and former Donegal ETB Further Education and Training (FET) students and apprentices participated in the 2022 WorldSkills Ireland event held at the RDS from 13-15 September.

Four people standing together.
Donegal ETB Hairdressing instructor Katherine Gilmore, hairdressing competitor Orlagh McGuinness, welding competitor Lee Davison and ETB senior Welding instructor and WorldSkills Ireland Welding Expert Cathal McGee.

Lee Davison, a current Donegal ETB coded pipe welding student, competed in the welding competition. Having previously completed a basic welding course in Gaoth Dobhair and intermediate welding course in Letterkenny, Lee was nominated by Donegal ETB’s senior welding instructor and WorldSkills Ireland Welding Expert Cathal McGee. He undertook additional training with Cathal in preparation for the competition. Lee is a former Donegal ETB post-primary school student who attended Crana College in Buncrana.

Orlagh McGuinness competed in the hairdressing competition having completed her hairdressing traineeship in May 2021 when a lot of her training was undertaken remotely because of the pandemic. She now works full-time in Catriona’s Hair Salon in Glenties (her employer completed Donegal ETB’s first ever hairdressing course). Orla was nominated by hairdressing instructor Katherine Gilmour and from March undertook further training preparation for the competition with Katherine every Monday on her day off. Orlagh is a former student of St Columbas’s Comprehensive School in Glenties.

Two people shaking hands.
Apprentice of the Year nominee James Fox with Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris T.D. at WorldSkills 2022.
Person plumbing.
2022 WorldSkills Ireland Plumbing competition winner Jamie Birmingham.

Carpentry apprentice James Fox from Co Meath was one of 187 apprentices nominated for Apprentice of the Year to speak on the Heroes stage at the event. James completed phase two of his apprenticeship with Donegal ETB in June and was nominated by ETB carpentry instructor Anthony O’Donnell.

Congratulations to fourth year plumbing apprentice Jamie Birmingham on winning the 2022 WorldSkills Ireland Plumbing competition; Jamie previously completed phase two of his training in Donegal ETB’s Gaoth Dobhair Training Centre under instructor John Sweeney.