New Graduates start pioneering programme GAIRM

After the success of the first GAIRM programme, Údarás na Gaeltachta and ATU welcomed a new cohort to the scheme this month. The scheme offers graduates a two-year contract with Údarás na Gaeltachta and a level 9 diploma with ATU.

Participants will gain professional experience as executive officers in various departments in An tÚdarás over the course of two years. Along with the contract, the graduates will undertake a Level 9 Postgraduate Diploma with ATU specifically designed for the GAIRM programme.

“GAIRM is about building the leaders of the future,” said Tomás Ó Síocháin, CEO of Údarás na Gaeltachta. “We’re investing in young people who will become the managers and decision makers of tomorrow. The demand for Irish-speaking graduates in the public sector is continuously growing, and GAIRM ensures we have the talent pipeline to meet that demand. We have seen great success with the first group and are confident that this next cohort will be equally as diligent.”

As part of the training programme, the participants will undertake a Postgraduate diploma (Level 9) in ATU. The course was newly developed in 2024, to meet the needs of the GAIRM programme, which aims to develop participants’ management skills as they undertake 14 modules over the course of two years.

“As we were putting the diploma together, we sat down with An tÚdarás so that we could get a better understanding of what was needed,” said Diarmuid Ó Conghaile, Head of Business and Accounting at ATU. “The diploma covers every subject from financial management and communications to leadership and management in general.”

Nine participants completed the GAIRM scheme this year, with 80% now in full-time employment since completing the programme in a range of organisations throughout the public and private sectors.

Seán Ó Coileáin, who completed the GAIRM programme this year said:

“In my second year on the programme, I spent 7 months working with the Language Planning Department, a period I thoroughly enjoyed. I always knew I wanted to work towards promoting the Irish language after GAIRM, and as it happened, a job as a Language Planning Officer came up in my home county. The experience I gained from GAIRM helped massively in the interview process, and I use the management and interpersonal skills I developed through the programme every day in this new role. I felt that I was prepared to take on the responsibilities associated with the role of Language Planning Officer thanks to the experience I got from GAIRM”

“GAIRM gave me the skills, experience and confidence to tackle new challenges and to develop my competence in professional settings. I was lucky to get to work on a range of different projects and get practical experience in various departments in the organisation, with an emphasis on digitisation of Irish, communications and marketing” said Niamh Ní Dhubhaigh, who completed the GAIRM programme this year. “This experience gave me a strong base on which to build my professional development, and it prepared me for the next step. I am working in the professional services industry now with EY and I’m extremely grateful for the valuable experiences the team at Údarás na Gaeltachta gave me and everything that I learned throughout the programme.”

Participants on the programme can chose to locate throughout the Gaeltacht in any Údarás na Gaeltachta regional office, in na Forbacha, Gaillimh, Gaoth Dobhair, Tír Chonaill, Béal an Mhuirthead, Maigh Eo, Daingean Uí Chúis, Ciarraí or in Baile Mhic Íre, Corcaigh.