Aisling Conaty is Derry girls’ career champion!

Aisling, a careers manager at the Creggan school since 2005, said she was humbled to have been nominated by vice-principal Mary O’Carolan.

“I didn’t know about it until I was contacted and told I was down to the final three,” she said.

Aisling scooped the top prize with over 50 per cent of the thousands of votes cast. She is only the second every person from the North to have won the award. The other was also a local woman.

“The award has been won once before in Northern Ireland and it was actually Fineen Bradley at the North West Regional College. Fineen’s a past pupil of St. Cecilia’s. So it’s great, the only two people to have brought it back have been St. Cecilia’s people.”

Aisling is one of only two full-time careers advisors in the North and this focus is of great benefit to the pupils.

“I would try to inform our girls about labour market information and the skills barometer. There are a lot of jobs in computing, software engineering and mechanical engineering.

“They’re really crying out for girls to get into those career areas.

“But if you really don’t know what you want to do and you are choosing your GCSE subjects or your A-Level subjects just have hope and faith in yourself and choose what you really enjoy and something will fall into your lap.”