The Skills Centre first opened its doors in 2017 all thanks to Kathy Bradley, whose ethos of kindness, support, and inspiring a passion for learning has always been at the centre of its foundation. Kathy Bradley, with the support of the Vice President of Learning and Teaching, Professor Paul McSweeney, has fostered a space where students can come, free of judgement, and ask for the help they need in navigating the transition into University life and learning. Since its founding, the Skills Centre has facilitated workshops, 1- 2-1s and provided written feedback having over 47,000 engagements from students. 

Kathy Bradley: Paving the Path

Kathy has always been passionate about supporting and developing students to realise their potential, become critical thinkers, and foster values that underpin the idea that success means something different to every student. Kathy returned to education through a College of Further Education right here in Cork City, before continuing as a mature student in UCC by completing a Bachelor Honours degree in Law. During this time, Kathy became involved in Peer Support and received the RDJ scholarship for an LLM. Following this, Kathy sought to broaden and expand on her knowledge through the completion of a postgraduate certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and a postgraduate Higher Diploma in Executive Coaching. Throughout her long and varied career Kathy has always had an ethos of sharing knowledge and centred her livelihood around working with other people, a fact of which is evident from the long line of people whose lives she has touched.

Our former head of Skills Centre, Kathy Bradley, has now taken a three year career break to take on an exciting new position with the Education and Training Board (ETB) creating new pathways for students to enter university. While the Skills Centre team will miss Kathy, we are thrilled to see her flourish in the years to come and to see her contributions to students, both inside and outside of UCC, come to life.

Skills Centre 2023/24

Following Kathy’s departure, Dr Éadaoin Regan will be steering the ship of UCC Skills Centre for the foreseeable as Interim Skills Centre Coordinator. Éadaoin completed her undergraduate degree in UCC in 2012 and returned in 2017 to undertake her PhD in the School of English and Digital Humanities before graduating in June 2023. A long-serving Skills Centre tutor who has worked on Kathy’s team since 2019, Éadaoin and all of the Skills Centre tutor team are determined to keep Kathy’s ethos at the heart of its centre for the coming academic year.

We would like to thank Kathy for all she has done in creating this incredible service for us and the UCC community as a whole and we wish her every success in all that she does in the next three years. Until we meet again, Kathy!

For the coming academic year, the Skills Centre continues in its aim to be a friendly face and a helping hand to all students who follow our yellow footprints to our door, and ensure all students leave our centre feeling lighter, more confident, and independent. We look forward to meeting you!

- The 2023/2024 UCC Skills Centre Team