Henry Shefflin past graduate and of Kilkenny Hurling fame guest speaker

Shefflin provided an inspirational talk on managing career expectations as part of a module featuring career planning and employability skills

Henry Shefflin, past graduate of WIT Business School and of Kilkenny Hurling fame, provided an inspirational talk on managing career expectations to our business studies students earlier this year.

The employability skills and career planning new dynamic and innovative modules introduced to the Higher Certificate in Business Studies, Bachelor of Business and BSc in Retail Management, Bachelor of Business (hons) last year continue to prepare students for employment opportunities. These modules are critical for students facing the economic challenges ahead.

Employer engagement leads to career success

Anne Marie McGrath, lecturer in Human Resource Management at the WIT School of Business explains the module is delivered through workshops lead by employers, human resource professionals and motivational leaders in the region. "The focus is around building individual career portfolios having recognised that students can achieve the highest academic results but ultimately it is their ability to engage with employers that leads to career success," she says.

Shefflin works with Bank of Ireland and is still widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in the history of the game, with many commentators ranking him as the greatest player of all-time. Retired from hurling he has now moved into hurling management and sports broadcasting. Shefflin provided an inspirational talk on managing career expectations to the students studying career planning and employability skills.

Invitation to influential graduates

Shefflin was invited to speak by Dr Tom O’Toole, Head of School of Business who recognised the contribution that influential graduates like Henry have on students in their career journey. The students’ reflections demonstrate the value of these events.

“Henry is a very motivational speaker and extremely honest,” said one student.

“I feel one major lesson I learned is that every mistake you make in life is a push into a better direction. I also learned that by having commitment and determination, you will get to where you want in life,” another student said.

“What sunk in most from the talk was the importance of finding what you like to do in order to make the best career choice. This was a very important point for me to hear as I was unsure of what I wanted to do as a career,” was another piece of feedbackf rom a student in attendance.

Related Courses

• Higher Certificate in Business in  Business
• Bachelor of Business in  Business
• Bachelor of Science in  Fashion Buying and Retail Management
• Bachelor of Business (Honours) in  Business (Common Entry)
• Bachelor of Business (Honours) in  Business (Human Resource Management)
• Bachelor of Business (Honours) in  Business (Management)
• Bachelor of Business (Honours) in  Business (Marketing)
• Bachelor of Business in  Recreation & Sport Management