News
PORT OF LARNE GIVES LARNE HIGH SCHOOL TIME OF THEIR LIFE
Thursday 21 October 2004
The Port of Larne recently joined forces with P&O Irish Sea to send six young women from Larne High School to a conference where they had the Time of Their Life.
The inspirational "Time of Your Life" conference, organised by Training for Women Network and Action Cancer was aimed at young girls who have reached the crucial stage in their lives where career choices have to be made. The conference offered work-shops and advice from women who are established in their own fields and spoke to the girls about the opportunities and obstacles which they could face. In additional to mainstream careers in business and media , one workshop entitled Grow your Own looked at careers in the horticultural and agricultural sectors while another, Jobs for the Boys, gave a fascinating account of life as a female plasterer!!
In additional to these inspirational women, Jenny McAlpine and Wendy Peters (Coronation Street's Fiz and Cilla) facilitated on the day and Martine McCutcheon (Eastenders, My Fair Lady & Love Actually) delivered the keynote address.
In keeping with their policy of community support and as major employers in the area, the Port of Larne and P&O Irish Sea recognised the benefits of this conference to the local area and agreed to sponsor six delegates to attend. Six girls from Larne High School, Lynsey Poole, Angela Bird, Laura Leitch, Sarah Gaw, Claire Nixon and Gillian McRoberts, were subsequently chosen.
Mr Alastair Gardiner, Managing Director, Port of Larne said: "The Port of Larne is committed to supporting initiatives which benefit the local community. Ensuring that young people are fully prepared to enter the workplace is crucial. There are limited opportunities for young women to look at all the career options available to them and to meet and get inspiration from successful women. We recognised this and saw the Time of your Life conference as an excellent vehicle in which to bring this opportunity to the girls from Larne High School. Having spoken to the girls since the conference, I have no doubt that they found the conference extremely enjoyable and beneficial."
Sarah Gaw, speaking on behalf of the six girls, emphasised the benefits of the conference: "This was an excellent conference and we have come away from it with a wealth of knowledge on career options. It has certainly made us consider careers in areas we otherwise never would have thought of, like the construction industry which is generally considered a man's world. Having listened to the speakers, we know that this is not the case and we can do whatever we want no matter obstacles are put in our way."
Lynn Milligan, teacher at Larne High School was delighted with the opportunity presented to the girls by the Port of Larne and P&O Irish Sea: "Larne High School is delighted that six of our pupils were given the opportunity to attend this highly beneficial conference. It would not have been possible without the support of the Port of Larne and P&O Irish Sea and on behalf of the girls and the school, I would like to thank them most sincerely."
The Port of Larne is committed to the local community and support a wide range of community initiatives. The Port of Larne is involved in the Business in the Community's Time to Read initiative which is proving extremely beneficial to both the school and the staff involved.
