Latest news with #LCVP
Agriland
2 days ago
- General
- Agriland
Thousands of Leaving Cert ag science students prepare for back to school
Thousands of students are gearing up for their return to school in the coming weeks, with many preparing for the Leaving Certificate agricultural science assessment. A spokesperson of the Department of Education and Youth said that in the most recent school year, 2024/2025, there was a total of 23,569 senior cycle students studying agricultural science across transition, fifth, and sixth year in schools. This data is based on information provided by post-primary schools in their 2024 October Returns, the spokesperson said. The data shows there were 3,464 students doing agricultural science in Leaving Cert year one, or fifth year in schools around the country. As part of the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP), there were 4,450 students doing agricultural science in fifth year. These students are expected to enter their final Leaving Cert year, sixth year, in the coming academic year. The Leaving Cert 2025 written exams took place from June 4 to June 24. Results are to be released this coming Friday, August 22. Over 7,100 students sat the Leaving Cert agricultural paper in June 2025, according to the State Examinations Commission (SEC). The exam was taken by 423 students at ordinary level and 6,746 students at higher level. Of the 7,169 students taking the paper, 3,100 were female students and 4,069 were male. There was an increase of 7.7% in the number of students who sat the exam in 2024. A new specification for agricultural science was introduced in September 2019 and was examined for the first time in 2021, the SEC outlined. The examination comprises two components: a written paper and a coursework component. The coursework component consists of a report on an 'individual investigative study' and is worth 100 marks, which is 25% of the overall marks for the subject. The remaining 300 marks (75%) are for the final written examination. The brief is thematic, related to a topic of agricultural significance, and common to ordinary level and higher level. All candidates are required to carry out an investigative study in response to the brief, and to do so in the context of a specific agricultural enterprise, the SEC said. The theme for the 2026 brief is 'explore how an environmentally sustainable food production system could support Ireland's future agricultural competitiveness'. Students are told to "use the theme as a lens to look through while undertaking the learning contained in the specification's strands and crosscutting themes".
Agriland
03-08-2025
- General
- Agriland
Laois Rose: Growing up on a farm 'an experience every child should have'
Laois Rose, Katelyn Cummins, believes that growing up on a farm is an experience every child should have. She told Agriland: "Our dairy farm in Castlemarket, near Ballyouskill on the border of Kilkenny and Laois, has been in the family four generations. My dad took it over from his father and has since progressed further with it. "Being in the outdoors from a young age and learning to work has definitely shaped me into who I am today." Katelyn said she always helped out a lot on the farm even as a young girl, feeding calves, milking cows, covering silage pits and dosing cattle. "I would have always given out before I had to make my way to the farm, but once I got there I was grand. "Being the oldest child in my family, I never had much choice but to help out, but I will say it will always be a memory I can share with my dad. "Even my granny used to clean out the yard where the cows gathered for milking and it just goes to show that farming really does keep families close and bonded," the Laois Rose said. A second-year apprentice electrician, she knew at an early stage that she wanted to take a different career path. "When I was in Transition Year in secondary school, as part of the Leaving Cert Vocational Programme (LCVP), we had to complete a week of work experience," she recalled. I didn't want to do the typical work experience that a lot of teenagers tend to do, primary schools and the vet. "I had a strong feeling I wasn't going to college and wanted to do a job with my hands." Katelyn's father got in contact with the local electrician, who agreed to take her on for the week. "I loved every second. We worked on various different sites, such as a cheese factory; a swimming pool; a warehouse, and a normal house. I was so intrigued by the different schematics needed in each different setting. "Growing up on the farm is a huge part of why I am training to be an electrician today. The support and enthusiasm I got from local neighbours and friends was extremely positive. It definitely helped me to keep pursuing my goals," Katelyn said. Katelyn busy at work as an apprentice electrician However, when it came to finding full-time employment as an electrician, things proved more difficult. "It was extremely tough to get an employer as a female with little to no experience but I eventually found one and started my job with Alpha Drives in Portlaoise, on October 23," Katelyn said. "Most people ask if it's hard to work with all men and to be honest, it's not. There's always a bit of craic, nothing is taken too seriously and we spend majority of the time laughing." Keen to see more women take up apprenticeships, her advice to anyone who wants to take the same path is to believe in yourself. "What's for you won't pass you, and work hard," she advised. Katelyn joined North Kilkenny Macra in November 2023 to take part in the annual Capers show. "I have since taken part in many competitions and been to many different events within Macra which has also taught me a lot," she explained. Katelyn was elected chairperson in July 2024 for the year 2024/2025. "It has been a whirlwind all around. Our club hosted a country and music night in aid of Cois Nore Cancer support in November 2024 in the Avalon House Hotel, Castlecomer. It was a huge success with many other Macra clubs and local communities joining us. "Macra is a brilliant initiative for people living in rural Ireland and those who want to learn and do more activities," Katelyn said. The Rose of Tralee was always on her radar. "As a young girl when August came around annually, time was always made to watch the Rose of Tralee. As like most young Irish girls, we all dream at least once of being on that stage in the dome. My parents always knew that I would someday put myself forward for it," she said. The apprentice electrician explained that she originally took part in the experience to "make more girl friends in Laois, as it's quite difficult in my job to meet females". "I never expected my name to be announced at the end of the night as Laois Rose. It has been a thrilling and rewarding experience so far and I haven't even got to Tralee. Katelyn added that she has already met many of her "Rose sisters". "It's safe to say we are such a close group. Friendships bloomed from the moment we took part in the selection process and it's only been proven to get even better as we get closer to Tralee," she said "The people I've met and places I've been have been amazing and have really opened my eyes to the community in Laois and across the country." The Rose of Tralee tour begins in Meath on August 10, with the live television shows taking place on August 18-19. The Laois Rose said: "I cannot wait to meet all the international Roses and have a family of 31 other girls." Katelyn helped out on the farm from an early age. There are no words to fully explain the Rose experience unless you become a part of it, according to Katelyn. "My family and friends are over the moon and are beyond excited to support me in the dome in Tralee," she said. After she completes her apprenticeship, the plan is to go to Australia, Canada and the US for a few years. Katelyn said: "It's a passion of mine to travel and see the world and I am very excited to do it. I would also love to do an engineering apprenticeship when I return home, or maybe set up my own business."
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The boats that took soldiers to the D-day beaches
DILLSBURG, Pa. (WHTM)– Their official designation was Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel, or LCVP. Usually, they were just called Landing Craft. Sometimes they were called Higgins boats after their creator. By any name, they changed the way war was fought, shuttling troops to beaches across the Pacific – and across the English Channel on D-Day. In 2006 Reporter Rob Dixon and I did a story about a business in Dillsburg restoring three Higgins boats to their WWII condition, and got to meet some veterans who built and piloted the boats. The boats were the brainchild of Andrew Jackson Higgins of New Orleans, who was building shallow-water boats for old and gas exploration in the bayous of Louisiana when World War II broke out. He adapted his designs for landing craft. The first versions were not that great; the designs called for soldiers to jump over the sides of the boats, exposing them to enemy fire. But the LCVP had a ramp at the bow. When the boat 'hit the beach,' the ramp dropped and soldiers dashed out as fast as possible. Christian Lamb made maps to guide the crews landing crafts at Normandy on D-Day Until the Higgins boat, invasions involved navies attacking heavily defended ports. But Higgins' landing craft made it possible to unload entire armies on open beaches, forcing defenders to stretch resources to cover areas that wouldn't have been considered danger points before. Many of the LCVPs were built at the Higgins factories and then disassembled. Shipped in pieces, they took up less space in freighters, which meant the freighter could carry more of them. They were then reassembled at their destination. WWII-era landing craft emerging from Lake Mead Andrew Higgins was not only ahead of his time in boat design, but in the workplace as well. Higgins Industries had the first racially integrated workforce in New Orleans. He hired African Americans, undrafted white males, women, the elderly, and the handicapped, all of whom were paid equal wages according to their job rating. By the war's end, Higgins Industries had produced over 20,000 ships, including various types of landing crafts and PT boats. General Dwight Eisenhower called him 'The man who won the war for us.' Adolf Hitler (probably not very happily) called him 'The new Noah.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
