Student Volunteer Ireland and the Board of Irish College Societies (BICS) are delighted to collaborate through HEA Open Courses and share three recent events that have built awareness with students, staff and European of the “Meitheal Skills Pack”, a suite of short courses aimed at enhancing students’ community leadership skills including teamwork, inclusion, advocacy and conflict management.
Launch Event – Tullamore
In April at the Board of Irish College Societies (BICS) two-day awards conference in Tullamore, over 100 students attended the spring launch and announcement of the BICS and Student Volunteer Ireland collaboration for an e-module series aimed at recognising and enhancing students’ skills in extracurricular activities available through OpenCourses.ie. The launch marked an important milestone in recognising and supporting students actively volunteering with Societies and in extracurricular leadership roles across Ireland.
Speaker Colin Lowry, HEA Senior Manager Teaching and Learning, Enhancement and Digital Innovation, shared with students and staff the new look at OpenCourses.ie and commended the collaboration to bring short courses to a wider audience. The launch generated strong interest among participants and reinforced the shared commitment of BICS and Student Volunteer Ireland to promoting meaningful student engagement and recognition of lifelong learning.
Image Caption: Coinciding with BICS 30th Birthday, the pictured Launch event provided an opportunity to showcase a suite of local open courses – “BICS Badges” – to student leaders, Society officers, and higher education colleagues, highlighting the role of open courses in helping students reflect on, document, and celebrate the valuable skills and experiences gained through volunteering. The 355 attendees at the BICS Awards had the opportunity to find out about the initiative at the welcome talk and throughout the day at the information stand.
Student Affairs Ireland (SAI) Summer Seminar
Building on this momentum, the project team presented the “Meitheal Skills Pack”, at the Student Affairs Ireland Summer Seminar at Dublin Business School. The poster presentation explored the collaboration of the open courses suite through a logic model, its alignment with student development frameworks, and the ways in which it can support students in articulating the personal and professional skills gained through volunteering. The conference provided an excellent platform to engage with student affairs professionals from across the sector and to share emerging practice in recognising co-curricular learning.
European Student Affairs Conference (ESAC 2026)
OpenCourses.ie has also been celebrated with an international audience at the European Student Affairs Conference in Kiel, Germany creating valuable opportunities for international dialogue and knowledge exchange. The team workshop presentation highlighted the collaborative approach between BICS and Student Volunteer Ireland and shared insights from the Irish higher education context. Delegates from across Europe expressed interest in the badge model and its potential to support student wellbeing. While the “Meitheal Skills Pack” e-modules directly benefit student leaders, their impact reaches much further. Through their leadership roles, these students can positively influence the wellbeing and mental health of their peers, amplifying the benefits of training across the wider student community. A highlight for the team was connecting with the European Students Union delegates.
Image Caption: Photographed are members of the Irish delegation (names left to right) Deirdre Parker University College Cork, Mary O’Toole University of Galway and Board of Irish College Societies, Laura Woods Munster Technological University and Board of Irish College Societies, Riona Huges University of Galway and Board of Irish College Societies, Aashima Rana Independent College, Daniel Caldwell Atlantic Technological University, Lorraine Tansey University of Limerick and Student Volunteer Ireland.
These activities were made possible through Higher Education Authority (HEA) funding, which has played a vital role in supporting the partnership between BICS and Student Volunteer Ireland. The funding enables the development, promotion, and dissemination of the “Meitheal Skills Pack”, ensuring that its impact could be shared with national and international audiences. Through this support, the project has strengthened the recognition of student volunteering and contributed to advancing student engagement across the higher education sector.
Visit OpenCourses.ie to explore and register.
