Clare McGrath

St Malachy's College

https://www.stmalachyscollege.com

Subject or Primary School Year: Physics and Digital Skills

Place of Birth: Belfast

Where you studied: Queen's University, Belfast

What was your first job? Hardware Design Engineer

What did your first job teach you? That I didn't know much about anything. That I had to learn quickly and that it was much better to bring my boss a solution rather than a problem.

Family/Status: Married with one daughter and a dog.

Best advice you would give to someone thinking of a teaching career: Get industry experience first.

With 16 years of teaching experience in post-primary education, Clare brings a unique perspective to the classroom. A graduate of Queen's University, her journey began in engineering, where she spent five years honing her creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking skills in an audio design company before transitioning into teaching through a PGCE. Her teaching journey progressed from Physics teacher to Head of Physics, fuelled by a passion for STEM, technology, and skills education.

This led to her Senior Teacher role as a Creative Digital Technology Leader where she built a Creative Digital Hub and transformed the Key Stage 3 Digital Skills curriculum. She has also fostered strong relationships with industry partners to gain a better understanding of the skills and qualities that employers are looking for in young people. Her innovative teaching methods and dedication to student preparedness are driven by her belief that future education needs to equip students with the skills necessary to meet the demands of the digital age.