EU scheme brings Aisling back to school

A PAST pupil of Ennis Community College went back to school this week to share with current pupils some interesting facts about being part of the European Union as part of the Back to School scheme. Aisling Naughton now works with the EU, with the European Food and Safety Authority in Parma, Italy. She works in a team giving administrative support to the scientists working on food safety policy for the EU.
This week, Aisling was one of more than 90 employees of EU institutions who headed back to their old schools to talk to senior pupils about the EU and possible career opportunities. She also visited Coláiste Mhuire to address pupils. Two other former Ennis pupils, Clare McNamara and Fergus O’Regan, will visit their former schools, Coláiste Muire and St Flannan’s College in November, as part of the same scheme.
The scheme is also a chance to let pupils know about issues of broader interest such as climate change and the EU’s response to the economic crisis.
The Back to School initiative is taking place across the EU. It all started in 2007 when the German officials went back to school to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and it proved so popular that it has expanded every year, with more and more people taking part. This year the scheme is taking place in nine EU countries, with more than 600 European officials taking part.
Speaking in Ennis Community College on Monday, Aisling, asked pupils what the EU meant to them, with some of the pupils saying that largely it means increased travel opportunities. She told them that with a good standard of European languages leaving school, or after third-level, they could realistically look at jobs in Europe and possibly even within the EU organisations. She also pointed out that now that the Irish language is an official European language, there are more reasons to develop a good command of Irish.