Graduation time for Credit Union members

Tributes have been paid to volunteers and staff from Clare credit unions who successfully completed the Advanced Certificate In Credit Union Practice conferred by University of Ulster. They were presented with their certificates at a graduation ceremony in the Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick.
They were among graduates from Chapter 13 (Clare, Limerick and Tipperary) of the credit union movement, who were presented with their certificates by Jimmy Johnstone, president of the Irish League of Credit Unions.
He acknowledged the graduates’ hard work and commitment to continued professional development.
Mr Johnstone added that such commitment and dedication is shared by many across the credit union movement. To date, over 2,000 credit union volunteers and staff have completed the Advanced Certificate in Credit Union Practice (ACCUP) programme. Graduates from Chapter 13 were part of the 570 who completed the programme in 2012, he said.
He also told the graduates that education is a core co-operative principle and ACCUP participation rates speak volumes for their commitment to these principles and to the credit union movement.
“You can only build a first-class education programme relevant to credit union volunteers where you can build on a very strong tradition of education.
“Our credit union movement has this strong tradition. Fitness and probity, minimum competency requirements and continuous professional development may seem daunting concepts but they are a commitment to the principle of on-going education and training and you, the graduates, are leading the way,” he said.
He also stated the Irish Credit Union League is also leading the way, not only with the development of CPD materials, e-learning courses and free training administration system but with the development of the new Pathways programme, in partnership with UCC. This scheme would provide certificate, diploma, degree and masters programmes to credit unions officers, all of whom would be accredited on the National Qualifications Framework, just as the ACCUP was.
He told the graduates the success of ACCUP is due in no small part to the strong partnership with University of Ulster. One of the great strengths of ACCUP is the high level of support that is built in for each student, while still maintaining rigorous assessment and academic standards.
“The challenges of new legislation and new regulatory requirement, which our movement and credit unions now face, will be met by people like yourselves developing the new skill set required to meet new requirements. You have already risen to that challenge and you will have to continue to provide the leadership necessary for our movement in the times ahead,” he said.
Also present were Con O’Brien, Kilmallock Credit Union and chairman of Chapter 13 and Raymond Mahony, treasurer, St Francis Credit Union, Ennis and secretary of Chaper 13, who organised the graduation ceremony.