Winning Mayo student at The National Career Skills Competition

Luke Cawley, a student at Jesus and Mary Secondary School, Gortnorabbey, won a prestigious honour at at the National Career Skills Competition 2026. Now in its 16th year, the Career Skills competition run by Ireland’s leading career guidance platform, Careers Portal, encourages senior cycle students who have completed a work experience placement to reflect on the skills they developed and to explore a potential future career.

Luke was commended in the Vlog category (video blog), investigated the career of Acting, and gained work experience in Daniel's Bar and Kitchen, and in the Abbey Theatre.

The Career Skills competition encourages senior cycle students who have completed a work experience placement to reflect on the skills they developed, and to explore a potential future career.

Luke was among 35 students from 21 counties in Ireland who were honoured at the awards ceremony, which was held at the Clock Tower, Department of Education. The students gathered with families, teachers and guidance counsellors to celebrate their achievements.

Once again, this year, students engaged in a wide range of work experience across a number of industries. A clear trend this year was the growth in tourism-related placements, with over 15 per-cent of all students who entered completing their work experience in this sector.

The creative industries were well represented too, reflecting the success of Ireland in this sector with actors like Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal and Cillian Murphy internationally. Many students explored careers in acting, film production in Irish and English, journalism and radio broadcasting, including placements with Beat Radio, Radio Rí Rá, and the Anglo Celt.

The healthcare sector remained especially popular, while there was a notable rise in interest in apprenticeship pathways, particularly in traditional construction trades like carpentry, plumbing and electrical work. Roles in childcare and those supporting older people were also explored by students, helping them develop valuable perspectives on the needs of the younger and older members of our communities.