Background

Increasingly the business is focused on the provision of integrated construction systems and solutions to its customers including in-depth architectural and technical support services. It also manufactures rigid plastic packaging products to the food industry in Ireland and the UK.

What Quinn Holdings did

QIH demonstrated its commitment to local education by launching its Quinn People School’s Programme with St Michael’s College in Enniskillen. The five-year partnership involves a range of initiatives to support St. Michael’s and is designed to combat the ‘brain drain’ that exists in the local area and provide a clear pathway for pupils to develop their educational attainment as well as the option to secure sustainable and highly-skilled employment at QIH.

The partnership with St Michael’s includes the following elements:

• Sponsorship of the Technology & Design department with financial assistance towards the departments capital investment programme
• Bursary awards for the Top GCSE Engineering and Top GCSE Technology & Design students
• Paid work placements for Year 13 pupils
• Technical support and expert assistance from Quinn Technical Experts on construction curriculum and related software tools such as Autodesk Revit
• Open access tours of all Quinn Facilities plus dedicated mentorship from the Quinn Technical Team
• Access to accredited CPD modules in construction, design, structure and material This partnership with St. Michael’s is part of a wider educational engagement programme. QIH has launched its Quinn People Schools, Apprenticeships and Graduate Programmes with the core aim of targeting home grown talent to build and grow the intellectual capital of the company.

Impacts and Outcomes

Quinn People School’s Programme with St Michael’s College has beneficial for both parties as it has:

• Helped to inspire pupils about career opportunities available, therefore helping to address the ‘brain drain’ of local talent from Fermanagh
• Improved staff moral and given assurances to employees about long-term job security.
• The Apprenticeship and Graduate Programmes enable existing employees further opportunity for career development and retraining

For more information, please email: caroline.mccaffrey@quinn-buildingproducts.com