Outdoor Adventure Management - Shackleton
This exciting 3-year Outdoor Adventure Management course provides students with the opportunities to develop the academic knowledge and appropriate skills necessary to gain employment in the outdoor sector.
The course has gained a reputation as one of Ireland’s foremost adventure education programs, with former students working all over the world in the field of outdoor and adventure education.
| Award Name | Level 5 Certificate (Level 5 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | QQI |
| NFQ Level | Level 5 NFQ |
| Award Name | Level 6 Advanced Certificate (Level 6 NFQ) |
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | QQI |
| NFQ Level | Level 6 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 Certificate (Level 5 NFQ) | Major | QQI | Level 5 NFQ |
| Level 6 Advanced Certificate (Level 6 NFQ) | Major | QQI | Level 6 NFQ |
Duration
3 years full-time.
Entry Requirements
Students must have a Leaving Certificate or equivalent and must be 18 years of age at the time of registration. Mature Students are also welcome to apply. Those without a formal education may also be considered, in consultation with the course coordinator.
Prior to formal acceptance of any conditional offer, you must attend an interview (Spring 2024 – details will be sent).
Water confidence and a good swimming ability is required for this course. Students must be able to swim 50m in order to participate.
Students undertaking Outdoor Adventure Management work placements are also required to meet the statutory Garda Vetting requirements.
There are opportunities for direct entry to our second and third year with relevant academic and practical experience. This will be assessed through a Recognition of Prior Learning application process. Please contact the program coordinator if you would like to explore this option.
Careers / Further progression
Career Opportunities
The purpose of the Outdoor Adventure Management course is to develop students as professional, self-reflective individuals capable of meeting the demands of employers in the Outdoor & Adventure Education sector and adapt to a constantly changing world. The qualifications aim to widen access to higher education and enhance the career prospects of those who undertake them. Employers are crying out for graduates that have the right skills and aptitudes including creativity, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, resilience and motivation.
Our former students are working all over the world in some of the best positions in the outdoor sector. Some typical job roles related to this qualification are:
Educator in an Outdoor Education Centre
Instructor in an Adventure Centre
Business Owners
Environmental Development Staff
Park Rangers
Conservation Officers
Forest School leaders
Yacht Masters
Nature Kindergarten staff
Leisure and Community Centre staff
Sport Development Officers
Adventure Travel Guide
Youth Development work
High Altitude Mountain Guide
Raft Guiding
PE Teacher
Army and Navy Officers
Members of the Gardai
And lots more…
Links with Higher Education
In the past students have continued their education with advanced entry into the following colleges: Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (Outdoor Education), Waterford Institute of Technology (Leisure Management), IT Tralee (Outdoor Learning), University of Chichester (Outdoor Education), Strathclyde University (Outdoor Education), University of St Martins (Outdoor Education) and University of Edinburgh (Outdoor and Environmental Education).
Further information
The college welcomes applications from qualified international applicants. International (non-EU) learners must comply with Irish immigration requirements and must present either a student visa or a letter of permission to remain in Ireland issued by the Immigration section of the Department of Justice. Non-EU applicants may be liable for an extra fee of €3654.
All courses are delivered through English. Learners are advised that to benefit from their chosen course they should be proficient in written and spoken English. Learners may be required to do an English Language proficiency assessment as part of the interview process.
Year 1: €50*
Year 2: €50*
Year 3: €50*
*Other course charges for trip expenses etc. may apply
International students are welcome, please read the following:https://www.cdcfe.ie/student-information/prospective-students/international-students
Students undertaking any full time Further Education course may apply for a means tested maintenance grant. Application forms are available from www.susi.ie. Students from designated disadvantaged partnership areas may be eligible for financial assistance towards course charges.
Step 1 – Apply Online
When you complete your application, you will receive an acknowledgement email with login details, username and password, for your new account on our college applications system (Enrol). Please ensure you receive this email as it sometimes goes into spam/junk folders.
You will need to log into the college applications system (Enrol) regularly to manage your application to CDCFE. Please note that your login details must be kept, by you, in a safe and secure place as they will be needed to access your account each time.
Step 2 – Offer of Place
After applying, provisional places* are offered on a first come, first served basis.
Within 10 working days from the date of your application, your provisional offer letter will be uploaded to your Enrol account and you should receive a notification sms and email. To view it, please login using the Enrol login details found in the initial acknowledgement email you received after applying.
*This offer is provisional and is subject to places being available and any specific course requirements being met, such as an audition, sample artwork, specific Leaving Cert. Results, relevant experience, attending a meet & greet with the course coordinator, etc. Refer to the course entry requirement for the course you are applying for on the course page here.
Applicants to courses that have additional requirements will be contacted directly about how to fulfil the additional requirements e.g., uploading sample artwork, auditions etc.
Uploading of Sample Artwork for all courses in the Art & Design Department – “How To“
Login to your MIT account
Select the Documents TAB
Click on the “+” button and upload your 4 pieces of work. For specifications please check individual course pages. Please name each file with a suitable file name if possible. E.G. Sample piece 1 etc.
Step-3 – Pay a non-refundable Course Charge online to secure your place.
Once you have received your offer letter, you will need to pay a non-refundable €50 course charge in order to hold your place. Please go to the college website and click on the Pay Fees button (or you may login to your account in the usual way). This will take you to the login page of the college applications system. Please ensure you login to the Academic year 2024/25. Once you are logged in, select the Payments tab to pay the course charge. Failure to pay your charge by the given deadline may result in your application being cancelled and the loss of your place. Click here to login to your account and pay your charge.
Your login details are on the initial email you received after making your application.
Step 4 – Complete Registration
We will contact you during the summer with details on how to complete your registration. You will be required to upload your Academic certification, Leaving Certificate results etc., to your application account.
You are also required to upload proof of identity in the form of a photo of your passport or driver’s license. All of this will be checked and verified when you attend registration week in September (dates to follow).
Medical Card
Please upload a copy of your medical card if you hold a full medical card in your own right or you are the dependent child of a full medical card holder.
Uploading Documentation to your account – “How To“
Medical Card (if applicable)
Leaving Cert Results
Click on the “+” button and upload a photo/scan of the document. If possible please name the file e.g. Medical Card with your initials.
Certificate in Outdoor Sports and Recreation QQI Level 5 (5M5148) – Year 1
Advanced Certificate in Sports Recreation and Exercise QQI level 6 (6M5147) – Year 2
Traineeship in the Outdoors or Entrepreneurship in the Outdoors – Year 3
Outdoor Adventure Management – Shackleton.
This exciting 3-year Outdoor Adventure Management course provides students with the opportunities to develop the academic knowledge and appropriate skills necessary to gain employment in the outdoor sector.
Notes for Success
This course requires a high level of physical fitness and self-motivation, and a strong interest in outdoor sports. We are committed to staying true to the ethos of experiential education and therefore this is a uniquely blended program: it is estimated that 40% of our activities are academic, and 60% are practical in the outdoors. We believe that theory informs practice and practice informs theory. Our course is inclusive and caters to a diverse range of learning preferences.
Outdoor Adventure Management Year 1
Certificate in Outdoor Sports and Recreation – QQI Level 5
The first year of our course aims to equip our students with a variety of personal and practical skills in outdoor adventure environments. Additionally, you will be introduced to the theory that underpins outdoor adventure education and the academic skills needed to pursue a career in the outdoor adventure sector.
Program content*:
Outdoor Recreation
Adventure Activities
Communications
Work Experience
Outdoor Leadership and Safety
Sailing Skills
Windsurfing Skills
Powerboat Skills
Rock climbing skills
Mountain Skills
Rescue and Emergency Care (REC2) first aid
Safeguarding
Principals of Leave No Trace
Outdoor Adventure Management Year 2
Sports Recreation and Exercise – QQI level 6
The second year of our course takes you further down the path of understanding the value of outdoor education in all aspects of life. You will explore the benefits of positive outdoor experiences and all its potential. This course provides the theoretical underpinning of outdoor learning as well as looking at leadership within the outdoor activity sector.
Program Content*:
Sport industry practice
Leadership
Work Experience**
Sailing instructorship
Windsurfing instructorship
Kayak instruction skills
Powerboat instruction skills
Mountaineering and climbing skills
*All modules presented are subject to change and will be confirmed each year.
** A limited number of first and second-year students can partake in fully funded 3-week work placements in Corsica (Glénans Sailing School, CESM) and Fuerteventura (Club Ion) through the Erasmus program.
Students must budget around €500 per year to cover the cost of personal equipment.
Outdoor Adventure Management Year 3 (or “stand alone”)
Traineeship in the Outdoors
5M5148 - Outdoor Sport and Recreation
6M5147 - Sports Recreation and Exercise
Certification:
Year 1: Outdoor Sport and Recreation (QQI Level 5).
Year 2: Higher National Certificate in Sport (Outdoor Adventure).
Year 3: Higher National Diploma in Sport (Outdoor Adventure Management).
Eléonore Conroy, course co-ordinator: eleonore.conroy@cdcfe.cdetb.ie
Clodagh Higgins, coordinator of 1st years: clodagh.higgins@cdcfe.cdetb.ie
Declan Tracy, coordinator of 2nd years:declan.tracy@cdcfe.cdetb.ie
Willie Whelan, coordinator of traineeship:willie.whelan@cdcfe.cdetb.ie
Tel: 01 8481400