A New Generation of Trinity Graduates from TCPID
Graduation Day for students of Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities
We wanted to share a story that should make Trinity College Dublin graduates very proud. It is also a story where Trinity graduates can play a role in helping some of our most vulnerable fellow citizens just by using your network. The Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID) provides a two year course called the Certificate in Arts, Science and Inclusive Applied Practice. The aim of the course is to provide students with a broad education within a third level environment and to equip them with the necessary skills and confidence to move beyond Trinity into further education or employment, depending upon their individual ambitions.
We also run a TCPID Business Partners programme and are always looking for new partner companies to join our incredible network. Our partners work with us in numerous ways, by providing work placements, mentoring, paid internships and in some cases, permanent employment. We have grown from 4 business partners in 2016 to over 40 now in 2021 and have great momentum. These partner companies are across a broad range of industries and professions, and include many of Irelands leading industrial, financial and technology companies, aircraft lessors and legal/accounting firms.
Once students complete their course in Trinity, they are given the opportunity to participate in a graduate internship programme and to develop key employment skills through paid internship roles. This internship programme is only possible thanks to the support of our business partners.
The impact of having one of our students or graduates within a company has been hugely positive. The individuals themselves have grown in confidence and have felt truly included and valued. The businesses have also given us hugely positive feedback from their own experience. We have been told that our students and graduates have brought such enthusiasm, positivity and determination, which has had such a positive impact on the overall morale within the team. The experience has given companies a real sense of what inclusion really means.
The TCPID model is not only the leading model in Ireland, but it has been recognised internationally. The potential is enormous - we can roll out this model across Ireland and will look to work with other third level institutions to offer programmes to suit their own communities. Our success so far and momentum has come from personal contacts at our partners. You can help simply by putting us in contact with the right people in companies that you know.
Our business partners are helping us to change lives and to make a real difference to the way that society views intellectual disability. We have started to see a real shift in how society embraces difference. Our goal is to help build a truly inclusive society and to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities to succeed in life.
We wanted to share a story that should make Trinity College Dublin graduates very proud. It is also a story where Trinity graduates can play a role in helping some of our most vulnerable fellow citizens just by using your network. The Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID) provides a two year course called the Certificate in Arts, Science and Inclusive Applied Practice. The aim of the course is to provide students with a broad education within a third level environment and to equip them with the necessary skills and confidence to move beyond Trinity into further education or employment, depending upon their individual ambitions.
We also run a TCPID Business Partners programme and are always looking for new partner companies to join our incredible network. Our partners work with us in numerous ways, by providing work placements, mentoring, paid internships and in some cases, permanent employment. We have grown from 4 business partners in 2016 to over 40 now in 2021 and have great momentum. These partner companies are across a broad range of industries and professions, and include many of Irelands leading industrial, financial and technology companies, aircraft lessors and legal/accounting firms.
Once students complete their course in Trinity, they are given the opportunity to participate in a graduate internship programme and to develop key employment skills through paid internship roles. This internship programme is only possible thanks to the support of our business partners.
The impact of having one of our students or graduates within a company has been hugely positive. The individuals themselves have grown in confidence and have felt truly included and valued. The businesses have also given us hugely positive feedback from their own experience. We have been told that our students and graduates have brought such enthusiasm, positivity and determination, which has had such a positive impact on the overall morale within the team. The experience has given companies a real sense of what inclusion really means.
The TCPID model is not only the leading model in Ireland, but it has been recognised internationally. The potential is enormous - we can roll out this model across Ireland and will look to work with other third level institutions to offer programmes to suit their own communities. Our success so far and momentum has come from personal contacts at our partners. You can help simply by putting us in contact with the right people in companies that you know.
Our business partners are helping us to change lives and to make a real difference to the way that society views intellectual disability. We have started to see a real shift in how society embraces difference. Our goal is to help build a truly inclusive society and to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities to succeed in life.
Here are some quotes from some of our incredible graduates:
Niamh Biddulph- TCPID graduate and HR Clerk in An Post
“Studying in Trinity College was a really good learning experience. I made good friends and lots of happy memories there. I did a graduate internship in An Post, working with the HR team. I found it hard to believe that I got a permanent contract with An Post. I was so happy with joy and surprised at how good this news was, I started crying, because having a permanent part-time job was something I always dreamed of from when I first started in Trinity College in 2016.”
Stephen Ryan – TCPID graduate and Tax Associate in EY
“The year 2017 will always be remembered as the year I got accepted to the best college in Ireland. I did my graduate internship in EY. I had a great time over my internship and I liked to believe I worked hard and I think I did do enough to impress them because on my birthday I got the best news that I could have possibly hoped for - I was offered a permanent position in EY.
I am only looking forward now as in the last few years I have only got good news on top of good news so I can’t wait to see what the future holds and I wouldn’t be this successful if it wasn’t for the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities and the wonderful staff there.“
The late Trinity Poet Brendan Kennelly wrote the following about TCPID:
“Disability is a mask that conceals a rich, surprising and fertile ability. The function of the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities is to remove the mask and reveal the beauty and promise of a hitherto hidden talent now brought into the light of day and the light of appreciative minds.”
For further information about our TCPID Business Partners programme, please contact Hugo MacNeill, TCPID Ambassador at HMacNeill@outlook.ie or Marie Devitt, TCPID Pathways Coordinator at devittma@tcd.ie
Website: www.tcd.ie/tcpid
Twitter: @IDTCD Facebook: Inclusion TCD Instagram: inclusiontcd
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/inclusiontcd/
