City VEC boss set to keep job after reshuffle

The head of City of Cork Vocational Education Committee says he looks forward to continuing in the role after changes to a planned reshuffle of VEC chiefs nationally.

The chief executive of Clare VEC, George O’Callaghan, was named in the summer as the designate boss of the new Cork Education and Training Board (ETB), to be formed when Cork’s city and county VECs merge next year.

He was one of the serving CEOs to retain their titles when the 33 VECs are amalgamated to form 16 new ETBs, with the longest-serving given the first choice on which board they wished to head up. The changes are happening under law published recently by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn and likely to pass in early 2013.

City of Cork VEC chief executive, Ted Owens, was one of three permanent VEC bosses scheduled to be re-deployed either in the education sector or wider public service. But the Department of Education has instead agreed to plans that will see Mr O’Callaghan work from Limerick initially, working on a seconded basis to the department on an analysis of the city’s second-level schools provision.

While Mr O’Callaghan will formally become Cork ETB chief executive, Mr Owens will take on the role in an acting capacity. It is anticipated that this could become a permanent arrangement as retirements in other ETBs allow for later reshuffling.

Mr Owens has been CEO in Cork since 2005 and previously worked as a second-level principal and an officer of Co Cork VEC. He said this experience gives him an in-depth knowledge of the work of both committees.

“While the educational services provided by both VECs were similar, there were differences in emphasis and combining both into one body would provide new synergy in the provision of services,” Mr Owens said.

“I am looking forward to the challenges involved, not alone in providing both education and training services to the Cork region, but also in developing the ETB as a provider of services to the wider education sector in Cork.”

The chief executive of County Cork VEC, Joan Russell, is one of 14 acting CEOs who will return to previous roles, as no permanent CEO positions were filled since plans to consolidate the VECs began a number of years ago.

The other two surplus CEOs apart from Mr Owens are Dun Laoghaire VEC chief Carol Hanney, wife of Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, and County Louth VEC chief executive, Padraig Kirk. Both will work for Mr Quinn’s department — Ms Hanney as a policy specialist on further education, and Mr Kirk as director of in-service training for junior cycle reform.