Two Teagasc students, Niall O’Brien, Kildalton Horticultural College, and Eoighan Mountaine-Barry, College of Amenity Horticulture, Botanic Gardens, won the People’s Choice award at a recent landscaping competition in Switzerland.
Niall and Eoighan are Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Horticulture students and were selected to represent Teagasc in the landscaping competition at the Valais College in Switzerland from the 5th to the 8th of May.
The competition was held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Jardin Suisse Valais and the 100th anniversary of the Valais School of Agriculture.
As a member of Europea International, Teagasc was invited to participate in the horticultural landscaping competition in the Valais College in Switzerland. One month before the competition, the participants received the specification for the garden design. The students developed and submitted a garden design, which they then built over the two days of the competition (pictured below). Teams from Switzerland, France, Hungary, Luxembourg and Ireland competed side-by-side as Europeans showcasing their profession.
Ivan Donnelly, Kildalton Horticultural College, and Louise Jones, College of Amenity Horticulture, Botanic Gardens, together with their colleagues from their colleges supported and mentored the two Teagasc students.
Ivan Donnelly was team leader and travelled to the competition with the students, he said: “The competition itself was exceptionally well organised from the outset and the horticultural and building materials supplied to students were of suitable quality.
“The students worked outstandingly well together under the given time constraints and, considering the unfamiliar temperatures, demonstrated high standards of teamwork throughout the visit. The hospitality shown by the college throughout the visit was second to none and overall the trip itself was extremely beneficial from an educational perspective, whilst also providing an excellent opportunity to network and create valuable contacts within the horticultural industry.”
Louise Jones from the College of Amenity Horticulture, Botanic Gardens congratulated the team, adding: “I am delighted for Eoighan, Niall and my colleague Ivan. It was great to have students from both Teagasc horticultural colleges coming together to compete in the Valais Horticultural College in Switzerland with their European peers.
Anne-Marie Butler, Teagasc Head of Education, added: “Congratulations to Eoighan, Niall and their teacher Ivan on their wonderful achievements in Switzerland. This was the first time Teagasc was represented at the competition and we are delighted for the team. International travel and new learning experiences are invaluable for our Teagasc learners.”
EUROPEA is an association working for the development of vocational education and training (VET) in the green sector of Europe. This covers a wide field of professions, which include agriculture, horticulture, forestry and aquaculture. At present, EUROPEA has 25 national EUROPEA networks, which represent more than 1,000 vocational schools and institutions all over Europe. Each country has a national EUROPEA coordinator- Carmel Finlay, Teagasc (carmel.finlay@teagasc.ie) is the EUROPEA National Coordinator for Ireland on behalf of Teagasc.
Source: EMM/ A&FDA