Marie Laffey

Head of the Career Development Centre

Telephone: +353  (0)91 492909 - Ext: 2909

Email Marie     

 

Area of support: Management of the Work Based Learning team and provision of Career Guidance for the Career Development Centre.

Work Based Learning responsibilities – management and support of placement officers working with the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, College of Engineering & Informatics, College of Business & Law and College of Science.

Background: A graduate of UL (BSc Computer Science) and NUI Galway (BA in Education & Training) and NUI Maynooth (Post Grad in Adult Guidance & Counselling) and awarded MEd in Adult Guidance & Counselling from NUI Maynooth in 2018.  Received PMP Certification in 2005 and 2009.

Marie spent 15 years working in ICT Sector working in many senior management roles for multi-nationals and was a self employed as Career Guidance Counsellor for 7 years. Industry experience included the establishment and management of large global distributed teams with full lifecycle project management. Role also included business development, risk and issue management, performance management, talent development and fiscal responsibility.

Since joining the Career Development Centre on a full time basis in 2016, Marie has provided career support, guidance and education to a number of colleges including the College of Business, Public Policy and Law and the College of Engineering and Informatics. Marie was responsible for the management of the Student Delivery team for the academic year 2016/2017 and won the AHECS Employability award in May 2017 for the development and leadership of the Transition to Employment programme which supports students with disabilities and mental health issues to prepare for their transition to the workplace.

Marie is currently working as the Work Based Learning Manager and oversees placement for the CDC, establishing best practices and policies to ensure the delivery of a student centred approach to the placement process.

Conferences: Marie has presented 'best practices using UDL to support students with disabilities' for the CSSI International Conference in May 2018 and a white paper “One Size fits all? A thing of the past” at the AHEAD International conference ‘Journey to Oz’ in March 2019.

Professional Memberships:

Member of IGC – Institute of Guidance Counsellors
Member of AHECS (Association of Higher Education Career Services)
Member of AHECS Labour Force Task Group

Hobbies and Interests: Disability Advocate – founding and committee member of the Galway Dyspraxia Support Group. Marie volunteers with the Irish Girl Guides as a leader of the Senior Branch Unit in Carnmore.