Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB) Strategy Statement 2023-2027 is committed to innovation and sustainability. In our Further Education and Training Centre at Durand’s Court, Waterford City, our full-time QQI Level 5 Awards in Fashion Design & Sewing Skills; Art, Craft & Design and Interior Design have long been committed to teaching sustainable craft and design skills and creating a culture of sustainability.
Collaboration with the Waterford Local Enterprise Office with “Start Your Own Business” and Digital Marketing Workshops have facilitated graduates to start their design businesses with a focus on sustainability.
Our Interior Design Programme students’ source old, often unloved furniture and decor from home or charity shops which are then upcycled, using various painting, and finishing techniques such as decoupage or stencilling to breathe new life into unloved furniture. One graduate, Marianne Heaphy set up the “Revamp Tramp”, an upcycling and refurbishing furniture business. Her work has featured in national media and recently she was part of the Interior Design team in Virgin Media’s “The Salvage Squad”.
Sustainability is an integral part of our Fashion Design & Sewing Skills Programme. Students learn how to repair; to alter and upcycle; to avoid the dumping of used clothes and to make garments from materials such as old curtains. “Totes Upcycled” and “Irish Handmade” are two graduate businesses which have made sustainability the heart of their business plan.
A core part of the Art, Craft & Design Programme is to teach learners to use materials in a sustainable and economical way – off cuts are kept and reused to produce other work or using a Laser Machine to further reduce wastage in design projects. Thus, the inspiration behind “Di Fenza Designs,” recycling old gold and silver jewellery to create new bespoke designs.
From September, we will be offering QQI accredited part-time courses in Sewing Skills and Graphic Design.
WWETB is committed to promoting access to these unique design programmes; to develop learning and employment opportunities and to promote sustainability through collaboration with local stakeholders.
