I applied for the Boardroom Apprentice because I wanted to give back something. I felt I had life experience of being a mum, wife, sister, aunt, friend and colleague as well as a long career in Finance and skills that I could transfer to help others.
I wanted the training to understand my personal liability and the time commitment involved, should I be successful in joining a board. My first impression of the programme was that it was exceptionally well planned and organised, expectations were clarified early and detail of communication was exceptional.
I met Mary Ryan (CEO) and Kate Martin ( Assistant CEO) at Crumlin Road Gaol, they were friendly, welcoming and gracious. I was amazed at the wonderful work they do with children and young people who have not had a fair deal.
I have enjoyed the training provided on the programme as it has educated me on my personal responsibilities as a board member. I have developed a new network of colleagues and friends and I thoroughly enjoyed working as a team for the group case study. Coming from a private sector background I have learned a lot about the public and charity sectors and met very passionate and hard working individuals who are making a difference.
I have really enjoyed the experience and strengthened my presentation, communication and teamwork skills and improved my financial skills. I have and would recommend others to apply for the Boardroom Apprentice because you will be with like minded people who have a passion and want to make a difference in our society. This programme will educate you about your legal responsibility and liability, teach you about your communication style and what to look out for in the finances. It is fun and you will meet amazing people, whist stepping outside your comfort zone and ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’!
Liguori Dobbin, Boardroom Apprentice 2018
What my host Board says
Every Board should consider the wonderful opportunity to have a Boardroom apprentice. From MACS perspective it was the opportunity to get a fresh pair of eyes at Boardroom level and have the excellent insights that the apprentice was gaining from the programme and also from their interactions with other peers on the programme. Ligouri was able to shine a light on practices processes and procedures that needed in to be improved on in a gentle but also persuasive manner. Boards can often get stuck in a rut even highly effective ones and the push that the Board Apprentice gave us was timely and encouraged us to think more acutely in how we function and perform as a Board.
The programme has given MACS tremendous learning and has been an invaluable experience. We will be definitely going for another Boardroom apprentice next year. In relation to the time and effort it takes to have a Boardroom apprentice MACS were very lucky in the sense that Ligouri came to us as very confident and competent and did not require a lot of handholding. Apart from Ligouri’s own innate skills I think the programme gave her the necessary tools to operate at Boardroom level.