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Employer Portal

eTwinning

The Erasmus Plus Programme offers Ó Fiaich Institute students the opportunity to apply to work abroad as part of their chosen PLC course. Placements will be arranged with employers in the host country with support from Ó Fiaich Institute. You can experience living in another culture, enjoy travelling, improve language skills, gain a Europass Qualification, add this experience to your CV and get that valuable job. 

Placements normally take place during the academic year September-May. If your application to work aboard is successful, you will qualify for a grant towards the cost of the mobility programme including travel, accommodation and living expenses. 

Research has shown that a period spent abroad no matter how short, helps to open our minds to other cultural experiences. 

The Ó Fiaich Institute Erasmus + will offer you:

  • An experience living in another country
  • The opportunity to travel
  • Help improve your language skills
  • A Europass Qualification
  • Increased employment opportunities
  • Growth in confidence and self-reliance
The programme has been shown to drive innovation and social inclusion in education:
  • 80% of Erasmus+ graduates are employed within three months of graduation.
  • 72% stating their Erasmus+ experience helped them land their first job.
  • Nearly half of Erasmus+ trainees were offered a job in the company where they trained.

How is your Erasmus+ exchange funded?


Under the Erasmus+ programme, students from Ó Fiaich Institute will have the opportunity to spend two weeks on work placement with a European partner organisation as part of their course.

Erasmus students receive a maintenance grant, which is provided by the European Commission. The aim of the grant is to assist students with travel and the cost of living abroad. The amount varies from year to year depending on how many students are participating in the programme. The grant is not means-tested and does not affect students’ entitlements to other grants, such as SUSI, Back to Education, etc.

eTwinning is a free European Union initiative that enables teachers and learners to collaborate with educational institutions across Europe through a safe online platform. Participants work together on shared projects, exchange ideas and cultures, develop digital skills and promote European values without the need to travel.

The eTwinning National Quality Label recognises projects that demonstrate excellence in areas such as collaboration, innovation, curriculum integration, digital technology and learner participation. It acknowledges the commitment of both teachers and learners and highlights a school’s dedication to high-quality European cooperation.
Ó Fiaich Institute of Further Education received two National Quality Label awards in 2026 for:

  • Building Bridges to EU Values: OFI learners collaborated with European partners from Italy, Spain, Turkey, Romania, France and Portugal to explore EU values, sustainability and active citizenship through research and digital activities.
  • A Stroll Through Our Legends: OFI learners collaborated with European partners from, Austria, Italy and Spain and explored local legends, myths and cultural heritage, creating digital resources and sharing their traditions with their European partners.

These awards provide national recognition of OFI’s commitment to innovative teaching, international collaboration and meaningful learner engagement. Check out this PowerPoint to see some of the highlights and images of these projects and the students receiving this national award.

 

This video captures a powerful eTwinning collaboration between O’Fiaich Institute of Further Education in Dundalk, Ireland, and CIFP Santa Catalina in Aranda de Duero, Spain. It looks at building bridges through the 3 pillars of Education, Business & Culture.

Through immersive college tours and regional exploration, students and staff examined how education systems, economic landscapes, local enterprise, and cultural identity mirror one another across two European regions.

The project highlighted clear educational pathways from further education into industry—showing how learning connects directly to real-world opportunity. As part of this journey, participants explored world-class wineries in Spain and specialist whiskey distilleries in Ireland, discovering how heritage, innovation, tourism, and international marketing are shared strengths in both regions.

Special thanks to Boann Distillery, Mo Chara, El Lagar de Isilla, Hotel Torremilanos, Slane Distillery, and Fairy Trees Winery for their generosity, insight, and inspiration. Our thanks to Léargas and Consortia de Castilla y León. This eTwinning project was funded by The European Union.