Young Louth Butcher: ‘Apprenticeship Was Best Thing for Me’
With Leaving Cert results arriving this week, thousands of teenagers and their families find themselves wondering what the future holds. While the university points race remains a well-trodden path, a growing number of students are discovering that success comes in many different forms.
For Emily Callaghan from Bettystown, deciding to bypass the conventional lecture hall in favour of a butcher’s apprenticeship lifted a massive weight off her shoulders during results week.
“It was great knowing I didn’t have to rely on a piece of paper from the Leaving Cert and being able to do something I’m actually really interested in and eager to learn more on,” Emily reflected.
Finding Her Own Footing in a Family Trade
Though Emily’s family operates a butcher shop in Bettystown, she initially hadn’t planned on following the family footsteps.
“I was looking around the CAO and I knew an apprenticeship was the best thing for me. I’m always better at learning by doing, not just by sitting in a classroom or lecture hall all day,” she explained.
“Working in the shop for the summer, I realised how much I actually like this trade and thought I should expand further on my knowledge of it. It’s amazing the amount you can learn from an apprenticeship like that.”
🥩 Shattering Industry Stereotypes
Emily is passionate about encouraging other young women to step into male-dominated trades with absolute confidence.
“I got a few odd looks when I told people I was doing the apprenticeship as they thought it was something women didn’t do, but I was there to show them that it is something we do,” she noted.
“Telling women to do male-dominated things is my favourite thing to do. We can do it and I know loads more women are capable of doing it too.”
Advice for Students This Week
For students opening their envelopes this Friday who might feel uncertain about their next chapters, Emily’s message is simple: find what genuinely drives you and pursue it.
“There’s always something else to do if it doesn’t go well, there are so many PLC courses and apprenticeships out there for so many different ranges of careers,” she shared. “Once you find what you truly want to do and love to do, you’ll always be happy.”
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