ICOS Newsletter - Issue 38 (December 2011)
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Sections:
- International Education News
- Policy and Practice
- Services to Members
- Services to International Students
- Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme
- Organisational Matters
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International Education News
IOTI sign agreement with Colleges Ontario
Education Matters reports that Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI) and Colleges Ontario have signed an agreement that will lead to an additional 1,000 students from Canada studying in Irish institutes. Colleges Ontario, based in Canada's largest province, represents 24 third level colleges which operate up to Level 7 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications. Under the agreement, students coming to Ireland will be able to advance to honours degrees at Level 8 and beyond. A similar arrangement will apply for Irish students wishing to undertake undergraduate and postgraduate study in Ontario.
Independent News and Media (INM) acquires leading Dublin language school
The Irish Independent has reported that International House Dublin has been acquired by Independent News and Media, the parent company of the newspaper, which also owns Independent College Dublin. The language school operations of IH Dublin, which has over 4,000 students enrolled, will now move to the Dawson Street site of Independent College which already operates undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes.
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Policy and Practice
QQAI launch new website
In anticipation of legislation, in the first quarter of 2012, to formalise their amalgamation into a single national agency to be called, the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland (QQAI), the four existing agencies HETAC, FETAC, IUQB and NQAI have launched a new interim website which will keep stakeholders updated on developments. A new interim board has also been appointed to assist with the practical preparations.
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Services to Members
Training
ICOS is taking bookings for its cross-cultural training programmes for 2012. Our training courses are aimed at increasing cross-cultural awareness and cross-cultural competency for those who work with or teach international students.
If you are interested in ICOS training events for the New Year, please contact Louise Staunton, Programme Manager and Trainer, ICOS, on (01) 231 5326 or lstaunton@icosirl.ie
Going Global 2012
The 2012 British Council international education conference entitled “Going Global” will take place from March 13 -15 in London. Themes include Collaborative degree programmes: Motivations, challenges and best practices; Global problems: what universities should do and Africa world café.
For further details, see the British Council website.
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Services to International Students
International Student Blog
Education in Ireland, the agency promoting Irish higher education opportunities for international students, has launched a new blog site for its recently launched student ambassador programme.
GNIB/INIS closure for Christmas holidays
The Visa and Garda National Immigration Bureau Public Office will be closed to the public from Friday afternoon, 23rd of December 2011 and will not re-open for business until Tuesday the 3rd of January 2012.
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Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme
New Minister appointed
Joe Costello T.D. was recently unveiled as the new Minister of State for Trade and Development, replacing Jan O’Sullivan who has moved to the role of Minister of State for Housing and Planning. Mr Costello has said he is anxious to maintain Ireland’s international reputation in the area of overseas development aid.
Christmas Party
The annual ICOS Christmas party for Study Fellows took place on Wednesday, December 14th December in the ICOS Office. Students and supporters of ICOS sampled tasty African cuisine catered by the Diaspora Women's Initiative, as well as some Asian food. Attendees also enjoyed participating in some Christmas carol singing to mark the festive season.
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Fellowship Student Profile
The latest addition to the series of student profiles, in which current and former Irish Aid fellowship students talk about their experiences and the benefits they gained from their training, is from Solomon Belete from Ethiopia, who received support from Irish Aid to undertake a Masters in Development Studies at Kimmage Development Studies Centre (KDSC) 2010-11.
Solomon reflected on how his training will result in a different approach to his job when he returns home: “Instead of focussing on the issues we’ve focussed on previously, like training on management and related issues, we need to focus more on other issues like climate change, ethics of development, role of NGOs and so forth. Hence, some of the capacity building programmes we were handling in the past will definitely see change in the future. Also I’ve built up my skills in stakeholder participation that pave the way for our membership to take the leading role in the issues of the organization. This enables my organization to be transparent and accountable, above all an organization that best serves the interest of its members.”
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Organisational Matters
New ICOS opening hours from January 2012
From Tuesday 3rd January 2012, the ICOS office will operate the following schedule:
| Mondays | CLOSED |
| Tuesdays | 9.00am-5.00pm |
| Wednesdays | 9.00am-5.00pm |
| Thursdays | 9.00am-5.00pm |
| Fridays | 9.00am-4.00pm |
Please note that ICOS will be closed for the holidays from 1pm on Friday 23rd December 2011 to 9.00am on Tuesday 3rd January 2012
2010 ICOS Annual Report
The recently published 2010 ICOS Annual Report is now available to download from our website.
Executive Meetings/AGM
The final Executive Committee meeting took place on December 8.
The first meeting for 2012 is scheduled to take place on 23 February, 2012 while ICOS’ AGM and annual seminar will be held on Thursday 7th June, 2012.
We take this opportunity to thank all our members for their on-going support and look forward to a successful 2012.