Two Laois students have claimed All-Ireland glory, setting a new national record in the process.
The students from Portlaoise CBS were crowned All-Ireland champions at the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Irish Finals on Thursday, May 16 in Microsoft Ireland’s Dream Space in Leopardstown, Dublin.
The All-Ireland PowerPoint title was won by Andrew Coyne, 16 from Portlaoise, while Jack Donoghue, also 16 and from Portlaoise, was the All-Ireland Excel winner.
It is an especially historic win for Portlaoise CBS, as it is the first time any school has ever won both awards.
Andrew and Jack will now go on to represent Ireland at the MOS UK and Ireland Four Nations Championship Final in June. The finals were formerly held in London, but are now conducted online.
The ultimate prize for the students at finals is the trip a to the MOS World Championship in California, USA where they will represent the UK and Ireland.
Andrew and Jack spoke with LaoisToday about their incredible victory.
“I’m very proud,” PowerPoint winner, Andrew said. “I didn’t expect to win it, but now it’s just about keeping it up for the Four Nations.
“It’s really fun. When we started Transition Year I really enjoyed the computer classes, but I didn’t expect to be in the competition – and win it.
“I’d definitely like a career with something involved in it, because it’s a handy skill to have.”
Meanwhile, Excel winner, Jack said he was “delighted” with his achievement, and also says he enjoys the programme.
“It’s good craic, in the computer classes with all the lads doing it,” he said.
“I’m taking Accounting for Leaving Cert now, and that uses Excel a fair bit, so hopefully it’s useful in the future.”
A third student from Portlaoise CBS, Samuel Duffy, also finished in the top five of the Power Point championship.
The teachers behind the programme are Damien Allen and Paul Cahillane, who highlighted the importance of digital skills in today’s job market.
“We’re absolutely over the moon,” Mr Cahillane said.
“We can’t believe they’ve done so well; both got a perfect score, and they both finished inside 14 minutes – the exam usually takes about 50 minutes.”
Independent research consistently ranks skills in Microsoft Office among the top three attributes that employers look for in prospective candidates.
Mr Cahillane praised his colleague, Mr Allen, who he said does “a savage amount of work” around the programme.
The 2024 MOS Championship launched in September 2023, offering an opportunity for students to prove their mastery of Microsoft Office.
Since the competition’s launch, thousands of students across Ireland have taken MOS exams to qualify and compete in the categories of Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
At the final in Dublin, the top performing 60 students sat a further exam in their respective category, with the winners were crowned by achieving the highest, most accurate score in the quickest time.
Along with sitting the exams, students also participated in a Micro:bit Workshop and a Digital Creativity Workshop lead by the Microsoft Ireland Dream Space Team.
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