My first Magazine KWETB Autumn Brochure 2017 A5 [hi-res] Final | Page 85

Student Profile
VTOS Further Education and
Training Centre.
Carlow Road, Athy, Co Kildare.
My name is Robert and I’m in my late forties,
married and with two children. I left school
at sixteen and my working background was
in security, but for the last six years I have
been unemployed. The longer I remained
unemployed the harder it seemed to get an
interview. I’m sure many people can relate to
this situation. With the current economy jobs
are at a premium and the older you get, the
less the opportunities seem to materialize. I
could feel my self esteem draining with every
rejection until I gave up seeking work. During my year I found some subjects easy and
other difficult, but I have to say the staff were
more than helpful and were always there to
help or answer questions. Also the stimulation
and knowledge I got from my work done
wonders for my confidence both professionally
and personally. Aside from learning, the staff
were very proactive in encouraging interaction
between the students and I feel I have
benefited from this. I have cemented new
friendships and relationships that I cherish and
hope will last for some time.
Last year a friend recommended VTOS as a
way build new skills and prepare to return to
a working environment. I wasn’t overawed by
the idea but decided to make inquiries and I’m
very happy I did. To anyone considering availing of VTOS, I
cannot recommend them highly enough. My
only regret is that I didn’t start sooner. With a
wide range of courses there is something for
everyone no matter what your background or
education or working history.
Robert Reid
After attending the opening day, I spoke with
some of the tutors, who were extremely
helpful and understanding of my situation and
needs and after some time to think I decided to
enrol for ‘Computers and Networking’, which
consisted of different aspects of computing
like, Communications, Hardware, Network
Essentials, Programming and Security, STEM
Maths and Work Experience.
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