Media

College Ireland, an integrated marketing solution for aviation products and services was officially launched by Mr. Eamonn Brennan, CX, Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) at an inaugural conference in the Grand Hotel, Malahide, on May 24^th 2010.

Mr. Eamonn Brennan said that the IAA had a long commitment to training and education in the aviation sector and said that the College Ireland initiative brought this commitment to a new level.

Mr. Michael Treacy, Enterprise Ireland acknowledged his organisation's support for the initiative and commented that while co-branding initiatives in the past in comparable sectors had tried and failed, this initiative represented an internationally recognised brand.  Mr. Treacy said that the Irish Aviation Authority in partnership with other very strong international brands participating in the project would provide the momentum for a successful venture.  Mr. Treacy confirmed that Enterprise Ireland would continue to provide positive support to College Ireland and reported that the initiative is currently is being promoted through its thirty two offices worldwide.

Mr. Finian Connolly, Chief Executive, Edgewater College, reported on Edgewater's participation in the Marco Polo project, a partnership initiative of European companies trading with China. This co-operation approach between companies is a successful venture for the company. A template Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) provided by Edgewater College and agreed by the constituent partners now provides the platform for the College Ireland's MOU agreement. Mr. Connolly stressed the importance of the IAA's participation in the project and identified the Authority's national and international reputation as a key success factor in the project.

Mr. Padraig O'Ceidigh, Chairman, Aer Arann, and conference speaker, said he considered the initiative to be "visionary" and exactly what Ireland needed at this point in time.  Mr. O' Ceidigh acknowledged the support of the IAA and the team involved before going on to say that Aer Arann is committed to education and training in the sector.

Mr. Andy Carlisle, Director Technical, Royal Bank of Scotland and conference speaker was highly complimentary in his comments regarding the College Ireland initiative.  Mr. Carlisle said that he and the leasing sector in general would be prepared to provide practical support to the project by providing lecturers with expertise in the sector to assist in some of the delivery of the College Ireland programme portfolio.

Mr. Cormac Lucey, Economist and former government advisor provided an engaging, if at times salutary story of the economic situation, both nationally and in the aviation sector. Mr. Lucey's key message focused on the opportunity that now exists for College Ireland to grow with the global economy indicating and experiencing a strong upturn.  Mr. Lucey cautioned that Ireland will continue to experience significant economic pressures that will continue to be experienced in the aviation sector going forward.

Mr. Brian Joyce, IAA Educational & Development Manager and conference Chairman,  outlined the strategic objectives of College Ireland as follows:

• To establish College Ireland as a "one stop shop" for education, training and consultancy in the international market place
• To establish College Ireland as the provider of choice in Ireland through the provision of accredited industry relevant programmes and
• To facilitate the development of new products developed by the College Ireland affiliates.

The conference also hosted a large exhibition trade stand area where each of the College Ireland members showcased their education and training services and products. This provided an opportunity for delegates to discuss their organisation's requirements with each other and simultaneously announced the arrival of College Ireland in the market place. Over 100 delegates from nearly 40 organisations attended the conference.