An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 16 | Print Media Apprentice of the Year 2013 A/S Leigh Rooney INtERVIEW By SGT WAyNE FITzGERALD PhOtOS By CPL NEVILLE COUGHLAN I joined the Defence Forces in November 2011 as a general service recruit with the Naval Service in Haulbowline, Cobh, Co Cork. Before that I was a forklift driver in a large warehouse while also serving for three years with 65 Inf Bn in the RDF, based in the Slua Hall in Swords, Co Dublin. After training I was made an ordinary sea- man and was selected to undergo a commu- nications operators (commop) course with Comms Branch. During the first four months we learned Morse code, signal flags, ra- dio wave propagation, computer apprecia- tion, voice procedures and many different radio equipment, including SINCGARS, satcomms and various other HF and VHF systems. In order to obtain a radio operators licence I went to sea with LÉ Aisling for several months, con- ducting varying patrols of two- to four-weeks long. I had to maintain many journals and log books during this phase of training. When not on patrol we would dock and conduct maintenance and ship duties. After this I went on my able-seaman's commops course. On completion of this course my logbooks were assessed and added to the results of my general tests and I was awarded my Global Maritime Distress Safety Systems (GMDSS) certificate. I then went back to sea again on LÉ Aisling for over a year. While at sea I applied for the Trainee Techni- cian Scheme as a print media technician. After an interview and some psycho- metric tests I was successful and attended Dub- lin Institute of Technology (DIT), Bolton Street, in January 2013. The apprenticeship is a three-year course, with the first year spent in Bolton Street and the final two years on place- ment within the Defence Forces. To undergo the train- ing I was attached to the Defence Forces Printing Press, part of the J4 Branch, based off Infirmary Road. I have now started year two and have been assigned as an originator within the Printing Press. (Origination is the art of design and layout of a print product i.e. manu- als, brochures and annual reports.) Last year I was announced as the Print Media Appren- tice of the year 2013 at the Irish Print Media Awards in the Crown Plaza Hotel, Swords, Co Dublin. It was a great honour to be recognised by companies within the print Industry and I hope this is the start of good things to come. I'm not the first Printing Press technician to be recog- nised for this award, with two previous winners also working here. I'm looking forward to advancing my career and trade within the Printing Press and the De- fence Forces. Craig Gordon from Bottcher and David Phillips from Alphagraphics are pictured presenting the award for Print Media Apprentice of the Year 2013 to A/S Leigh Rooney. Photo: Robbie Reynolds Photography

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