Success Stories - Portobello Institute

After three decades working with her passion for Irish Dancing, Evelyn Shortall completed her level 5 and level 6 SNA qualifications.

With a wealth of experience already under his belt, Kieran Dowdall had to look elsewhere to see what he could do to advance his career

Returning to education with almost two decades of experience can seem daunting, but for Wayne Noonan, it was completely worthwhile

From a plane spotting kid to cabin crew across the world, Stacey Caffrey is using Portobello Institute to get to the next step.

“Between all courses in Dublin, Portobello was the most affordable and handy to do"

"The degree reinforces what you are already doing, it gives you more knowledge and more confidence. It brings us up a step"

“I've now started my dream job in the Adidas HQ offices in Germany where I've been able to combine my love of all things fitness!"

“I really am working my dream job, something that would not have been possible without Portobello”

From a PLC, to Portobello, to Physiotherapy, Sean Moriarty's path to his dream career.

“Portobello Institute helped me get a place on the PME course, something I didn’t think would be possible."

Jack Daly has taken his first steps towards a career in Physiotherapy with Portobello Institute.

"I gained a wealth of knowledge from the theory, practice and skills demonstrations. I have also gained confidence and experience"

“Having spent the previous 10 years working in the world of accounts, I knew I did not want to stay tied to a desk for the next 30 year

“I found a passion and the tutors found a passion in me too. I am academic, I am a writer, so I completely fell in love with it"

"I have gained the higher capitation but also the recognition of having the degree and being a professional in what you do."

David Poff was a Leinster underage rugby player who found his path towards running his own gym by attending Portobello Institute.

"At Portobello the tutors genuinely care about the students and they want to see them succeed afterwards."

"The course gives you different skills that you can carry across different industries it gives you a good foundation for it.”

"When I started I had been in the early year's sector for 24 years, I found it so incredibly rewarding, useful and a great thing to do"

"It’s open to anyone interested in child development, child welfare, anyone that has an interest n working with children."

“The practical experience in the classroom was really good. It’s so important to sit down and see how the materials work"

Shane Malone had a young family and wanted a fulfilling career that would provide for them.

"I drove up and down every Wednesday for six months from Donegal to Dublin to do the course that’s how much I loved it!"

"I was able to build a relationship with my tutor and it made me feel comfortable studying from home"

"The course taught me the importance of supporting the child`s development and how I can assist them when I have the proper knowledge"

"The workshop was great, from a Covid-19 perspective it is perfect, people felt safe and there is no obligation to go"

Portobello fashion graduate, Áine Lee, turns her life around after Covid-19 retail job loss to a new life working with a global company

“I did the course as a taster and I just found it amazing. Everything on the course was so relevant. I have gone on to do my post-grad"

Colm Dunne came through Portobello Institute's PE and Coaching degree to earn a place on UL's Teaching Masters in PE.

Dan O'Mahony earned his Masters degree from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland after graduating from Portobello Institute.

Cathal Brady runs his own sports therapy clinic, lectures at Portobello and works with various sports teams across different codes.

Donna Power's life changed when she had children. She never imagined she would become a sports therapist but is delighted that she did.

Thomas Maher is a mature student who was a qualified personal trainer in his own gym. Now he has opened his own sports therapy clinic.

Aoife Fleming helped to save a child's life when she was younger and after that she knew she wanted to become a hydrotherapist.

Tom Murphy was 18 and left without a Leaving Certificate after his professional soccer career. Portobello Institute gave him direction.

Matthew Bursey says that he owes much of his professional success to the guidance he received at Portobello Institute.

Aoife Scally was a qualified physiotherapist who wanted to help her patients even more by adding psychology to her repertoire.

Eoin Byrne turned his Portobello Institute degree into roles with RTE and Eir Sport.

"The lectures are robust, interactive and offer vast avenues to further learning as each student sees fit."

“It was brilliant, the project I picked was something I was really interested in, I’m delighted because I put a lot into it"

John dreamed of working in aviation and the Airline & Cabin Crew Studies course at Portobello Institute made his dreams come true!

As a result of undertaking Airline Studies, Amy is working in jobs she previously didn’t know existed!

"Anne Marie knows what it takes to become a buyer and has amazing contacts to help you get your foot into certain buying offices"

“Our tutors were so friendly and easy to approach which made the experience much better. My class really made my experience great too"

"I loved the course content and all the tutors were extremely helpful. I’m definitely excited to get my fashion buying career underway"

"It has given me the confidence and knowledge to believe in myself and my ability to progress into my career as a buyer"

"It has given me a sense of achievement and makes me feel good about myself – it’s never too late to reach your goals"

"This course gave me professional competence, self-respect, self-confidence, and has changed my whole understanding of childcare"

“I have so much more confidence now in this field and it has taught me that I am well able to do anything I put my mind to”

“Tutors at Portobello Institute – they believed in me, supported me and helped me every step of the way – in so many ways!"

After years in retail, Geraldine returned to study Travel & Tourism and is now employed as a Travel Consultant with Club Travel.

"I have gained a lot from participating in the programme and am very happy to have been able to put this knowledge into practice"

"My dream job is to be a successful fashion buyer in this ever-growing industry. This course has helped put those wheels in motion"

"From my internship l was offered a position in the buying department of Primark. Dreams do come true with the help of Portobello!"

Shannon Byrne opened her own clinic within a month of graduating and has since hired her first employee, who is a Portobello student.

"I thought I knew a lot, I have over 20 years experience running my own pre-school, but what I know is only the tip of the iceberg"

Ross Fagan completed the IWFM Level 3 and Level 5 courses and we are absolutely delighted to share his journey.

“The digital marketing module and utilising social media was especially relevant and are essential to any business these days"

Sheena Heavey talks on how she’s getting on in her new role as a Special Needs Assistant since finishing up at Portobello Institute.