3cea awarded Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer status

The 3 Counties Energy Agency (3cea) is celebrating having been awarded Engineers Ireland’s CPD Accredited Employer Standard for its commitment to the continuous professional development of its 23-strong staff which includes Engineers, Technicians, Marketing and Administrative employees.

The 20 year-old Agency is now an Engineers Ireland continuous professional development (CPD) Accredited Employer and part of an exclusive network of organisations that have demonstrated commitment to the professional development of their staff. The much-coveted best practice framework accreditation will help the agency to recruit and retain talented staff and win projects.

The not-for-profit 3cea has worked tirelessly across the South-East since its inception in 2002 to move the region to a low carbon, clean energy future. It has grown its team over that time from just three to 23 employees.

3cea works with communities, local authorities, businesses and the general public across counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and further afield in the renewable energy sector. The highly-regarded and highly skilled team at 3cea is constantly researching and upskilling, expanding its knowledge in energy saving, storage and production.

Paddy Phelan, 3cea CEO, paid tribute to the entire team, particularly those who worked on achieving Engineers Ireland’s CPD Accredited Employer Standard and said: “Continued professional development is essential for 3cea. We work in an a rapidly changing industry with new technologies, new standards, new requirements coming to market all the time. We work hard to ensure our entire team is prepared for all of these challenges. Providing a good CPD offering provides exciting opportunities for our team to develop and grow.

“We are committed to career development and to helping meet acute skills shortages within our sector world-wide. With this in mind, we offer work placement and graduate opportunities to third level students in this region. Many of these undergraduates have gone on to join our team over the years,” Mr Phelan said.

Congratulating 3cea on achieving Engineers Ireland’s CPD Accredited Employer Standard, Caroline Spillane, Director General of Engineers Ireland, said: “I would like to congratulate 3cea for their dedication to professional development and achieving CPD Accredited Employer status. It is clear that 3cea has a strong commitment to supporting the professional growth of its staff and the organisation has successfully created a culture of innovation where creative thinking is encouraged and supported.

“Investment in professional development is essential for organisations to grow and develop their people. This investment ensures career progression and success for employees’ while also ensuring continued growth and market success.  Having experienced rapid growth in the South-East, I believe 3cea will continue to benefit significantly from the strategic approach facilitated by the CPD Accredited Employer Standard,” Ms Spillane added.

Gráinne Kennedy, Energy Engineer with 3cea, led the accreditation bid and commented: “Over a quarter of our team are Engineers Ireland affiliated and more are to join throughout the year. Others are working toward Chartered Engineer status. 3cea has a very strong policy that supports employees who want to extend their knowledge and join professional organisations. Such an ethos drives continuous professional development and augurs well for the future of 3cea and the energy transition across the South-East region into the future.”

About Engineers Ireland’s CPD Accredited Employer Standard

The Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer standard is a strategic framework which enables engineers and engineering employers to raise competency levels and deliver tangible business benefits by investing in engineers through continuing professional development. For more information, visit: http://www.engineersireland.ie/cpd-training/cpd-accredited-employer-scheme.aspx