AILG President Cllr. Pat Fitzpatrick made the announcement at the ceremony of completion at University College Cork which celebrated the first students of the Certificate in Continuing Professional Development inClimate Crisis and Local Government.
Speaking at the event, Cllr. Fitzpatrick said: “AILG are again delighted to partner with UCC in offering their bespoke Level 7 Certificate in Continuing Education Professional Development in Climate Crisis and Local Government to our Local Authority Elected Members. AILG are particularly proud that 24 of our members completed the course in 2022 and have received their level 7 certificate. It is a tremendous personal achievement for them and for AILG, as we continue to achieve our goal of developing our Bespoke Externally Accredited Training Programme for our Elected Members.”
Assistant Director of ACE, Lyndsey El Amoud added: “The climate crisis is one of the most significant global challenges of our time. UCC has been one of the universities leading the charge on this agenda for quite a few years now. We in ACE at UCC are delighted to partner with AILG in the delivery of this course to help increase the knowledge and skills of local government councillors to help tackle this global issue in a local way. Working together is the only way forward now!”
The QQI Level 7 course will equip Local Authority Elected Members with practical and up-to-date environmental, social and political knowledge which will help them to implement climate-related plans, policies and legislation within their local authorities.
“I would highly recommend this course to all Councillors. As a mature student I found the course content extremely relevant, the lectures and the recordings both before and after the online discussions very helpful and challenging. The course helped me as a Councillor understand the issues regarding the Climate crisis and the role that Local Government can and must play in achieving our national and international Climate goals. Networking with the other Councillors was a huge bonus that I didn’t really anticipate but found very enjoyable and helpful. The lecturers were engaging and extremely knowledgeable, the discussions and workshops were enjoyable, the online sessions were manageable from a time management perspective. Overall, it was a great experience and I’m so glad I completed the course.”
The AILG are proud to make a substantial sponsorship contribution to the overall course which will significantly reduce the cost per applicant. The course is limited to 25 participants and is only open to Local Authority Elected Members. Students will undertake their studies between February and May 2023 and the closing date for applications is 15 January 2023.
For full details on the application process please see the website HERE or the flyer attached.
If members have any queries, they can contact info@ailg.ie or Programme Coordinator Samantha Sullivan at SSullivan@ucc.ie.
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Course Fees payable to UCC will be €525 per participant (reduced from €850 due to AILG sponsorship) and can be paid over 2 instalments during the course duration: €270 on registration and the balance of €255 in March. Local Authority Elected Members can avail of provisions of Circular LG05-2022 in relation to the payment of the reduced course fee. There will be an option to select whether the applicant themselves will pay the fees of €525 (and claim a reimbursement following successful completion of the course) or a sponsor/employer i.e. their local authority will pay the fees. Applicants should contact their local authority in advance to agree this. If the applicant is being sponsored, they will need to tick the sponsorship option on the online application form, have the form completed by the council, and returned to UCC as detailed on the form. Please refer to AILG guidance on reimbursement for educational fees.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
The Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) is a national representative body that proudly represents and supports the role of Ireland’s 949 elected councillors.
ACE in University College Cork is the longest-established centre for adult and lifelong learning in the Irish university system.
Cllr. Pat Fitzpatrick is available for interview on 087-3470274.
