Athy native, Tony Kerins, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership, Management, and Defence Studies during the conferring ceremonies at SETU’s Kilkenny Road campus in Carlow on 31 October.
Recognition of Prior Learning
Tony completed his degree through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process. Students who apply to a university course via RPL are evaluated on a combination of previous formal education, alongside their experience in a work-based or voluntary environment.
Speaking about the process, Tony said that it was both challenging and rewarding, saying, “Applying to the course through RPL required a lot of self-reflection. I had to pull together years of knowledge and experience that I had built throughout my career and apply it to the current situation.”
Tony shared that one of the most beneficial parts of his SETU experience was the support of lecturers.
The academic staff at SETU are down to earth. They offer practical solutions to real world problems and have a blended approach to learning.
Tony Kerins SETU Graduate
Career in Irish Defence Forces
Tony previously served as a member of the Irish Defence Forces for 26 years. Having joined the Irish Defence Forces at age 18, Tony completed his basic training in 1981. During his time in service, Tony worked both nationally and internationally on a variety of missions.
Looking back at his career, Tony noted, “The Defence Forces always nurtured academic initiatives and always pushed its members to continue learning and growing."
Entrepreneurship
After retiring from the DF, Tony went on to pursue a now 20-year long career in human resource management. He started his own company, Magister, which offers HR services designed to optimise an organisation’s performance.
“Throughout my career, I have worked and led across various teams. My business creates courses to help managers to be more effective at what they do. I want to continue growing my business, continue learning, and help managers to navigate areas like conflict and performance management more effectively,” Tony explained.
Tony’s advice: “Never stop learning. Never stop educating yourself.”
To learn more about RPL, see here.