- Dominick Street, Dublin 1: Sat 21st Aug 11-2pm

- Dominick Street, Dublin 1: Thurs 9th Sept 5.30-7.30pm

- Dominick Street, Dublin 1: Sat 18th Sept 11-2pm

- Dominick Street, Dublin 1: Thurs 30th Sept 5.30-7.30pm

 With the new academic year in sight Liza Marron, Fashion Buying and Merchandising course director, is already getting the ball rolling with many exciting events on the schedule.

November 2009 - Guest Speaker from the IPPA

On Thursday the 3rd of December 2009 Marlene Mc Cormack will give a guest lecture to the Full time Montessori class. Marlene is the Training Director for the IPPA. The IPPA (Irish Preschool Play Association) is the largest voluntary organisation working for young children and their families in Ireland.

It was Founded in 1969 with a countrywide  membership of over 2400 which includes Playgroups, Parent and Toddler Groups, Full Day Care Groups, After-school and Out-of-School Groups and individual members.

On her visit to the college Marlene will discuss Siolta with the students. Síolta, is a National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education which establishes the quality standards to which all childcare services should aspire.  This framework is called the Síolta Quality Assurance Programme (QAP).  “Síolta means ‘seeds’ in Irish.  The idea is that this framework can plant the seeds through which each service can grow to its full potential in its own distinctive way.  Síolta's aim is not to make all childcare services the same but rather to establish quality standards which can be achieved in many ways and through many types of curriculum.” IPPA

November 2009 - Fashion Students go Off the Rails

Our Fashion Buying & Merchandising and our Fashion Design classes, pictured below, attended the Off the Rails Exhibition and Fashion Show on Monday 16th November. The show was based on the theme of 6 senses: Smell, Touch, Taste, Hearing, Sight and the 6th Sense. Each scene opened with a group of dancers who performed in the theme of the scene. Clothes were from Topshop, River Island, Oasis, New Look etc but some exciting Irish Designers also featured such as John Rocha, N&C Kilkenny, Joanne Hynes, Lynn Mahr, Kate and Ava, Aideen Bodkin and Tim Ryan. Brendan Courtney and Sonya Lennon (presenters on show) opened the event with make overs and tips of what we should be wearing to suit our silhouette shape. Show was sponsored by Rimmel and Peter Mark, stylist was Graham Cruz.

Field trips such as this are essential for students to gain exposure to the world of fashion and our a vital part of our Fashion courses.

 November 2009 - @Interview Guest Lecture

We are delighted to announce that Helen McGardle a consultant with @Interview will deliver a guest lecture to Portobello Institute Business Students on Wednesday 2nd December at 10am in 4A.

@Interview is a premium Interview Training and career coaching consultancy service providing Interview Training and Career Coaching programs to individuals and to organisations. @Interview is part of The SRI Consulting group that specialises in providing integrated solutions to innovation in staffing, outsourcing and career coaching related services.

The SRI team of consultants have over 10 years of experience providing interview training, recruitment, development and executive search services. They also have personal experience as hiring manager for blue chip organisations, and are therefore well equipped to deliver up to date and innovative programs that are tailored to your specific needs.

Their programs are individually tailored to meet the needs of individuals in various stages of their careers and to meet the needs of organisations in the various stages of their cycle.

For more information visit the @Interview Website.

November 2009 - Facilities Management Guest Speakers

Portobello Institute welcome the opportunity to host  industry briefings for our  students. The Portobello Institute Business Department and Des Stapleton Course Director of the Facilities Management Progamme are delighted to welcome Enda Hogan from Refrigeration Skillnet and Chris Hughes, Programme Manager,  Sustainable Energy Ireland as guest speakers on Tuesday 17^th November 2009 in Portobello Institute. Chris Hughes will outline BER requirements and the role of BER alongside current industry regulations. Enda Hogan will discuss the role of the  Institute of Refrigeration Ireland and responsibilities of building owners / operators in relation to RAC Plant, Minimum Competence of Personnel (FGas / ODS / EPBD Regs) and Energy Efficiency.

November 2009 - Taste of Dublin 2009 Report
You may have noticed in our last update some extremely encouraging words from a past student of ours Neilia Villaneuva. Well here's what her daughter, Joy Isabel, had to say about her work experience during here time studying with us:

" Every year as we all know, Portobello Institute offers work experience programme for their students. This programme enables student to gain further experience in the job market as well as to enhance their knowledge and skills through practical application.
 
This year, some students from Portobello Institute including my brother Joebel (who previously took Hotel, Catering and Hospitality Management in Portobello School) and myself are given an opportunity to gain work experience from this company called Brand Events (or Taste Festivals). This company is an events marketing firm responsible for the annual Taste of Dublin event.
 
Every year here in Dublin, a four-day of fine food and drink is celebrated. People all throughout Ireland gather to socialise, to enjoy live entertainment, and to experience the very best of the city’s most prestigious restaurants and chefs serving and showcasing sample-sized signature dishes.
 
I am so delighted to be a part of this event this year. I got to know Mary O’Connor, Operations Manager for Taste Festivals. She assigned me to work as an Usherette for Brown Thomas V.I.P. Suite. My responsibilities included greeting the guest ensuring all people who go inside the V.I.P. suite are wearing the proper identification badge. Also, I have assisted some Taste Festivals staffs in organising the V.I.P. suite before and after shifts in order to run things smoothly and efficiently.
 
My first day was exciting. We were tasked to be at the staff room half an hour before the event starts for a quick briefing. The event started at 4:00pm. To officially open the Taste of Dublin 2009 event, Taste Festivals started the event by conducting a brief Press Conference in the Brown Thomas V.I.P. suite. There were a lot of guest who came over such as the Media people, the CEO of Brown Thomas, Brown Thomas staffs, some Celebrity Chefs, different business owners who were also participating in the event, and other high-profiled personalities. It was really a great experience to get to know some of them. After the press conference, Taste of Dublin 2009 was officially opened to public.
 
From second to final day, we started work at 11:00am and finished at 10:00pm. We normally get an hour or half an hour break depending on how busy the suite is so we could also roam around, socialise, and experience what other businesses offer during the event such as freebies, free tasting, and etc. The last day was memorable too because I was asked by the Brand Events cameraman to face the camera and do the introduction to the V.I.P. suite (I just simply said in front of the camera, “Hi. Welcome to the Brown Thomas V.I.P. suite). I think the video will be used for the future media pack or promotions of the next year’s Taste of Dublin event. It was nerve-racking but it all went well.
 
I would like to thank Portobello Institute especially Cait Barden (Portobello Institute’s Course Director) for this rare-opportunity. Not just I had fun but I learned a lot of new things specifically on a Marketing and Business Administration perspective through observation how the organisers co-ordinates and manages such a huge successful event like Taste of Dublin.

November 2009 - A Family Affair

We always appreciate feedback from our students, below is what Neilia Villaneuva had to say about her time with us....