Sheila has worked in the area of widening participation for over ten years. As Project Co-Ordinator of the UCC PLUS+ Schools Outreach Programme, she co-ordinated and developed outreach activities with second level DEIS schools in Cork, Kerry and Waterford, engaged in local inter-agency initiatives and collaborated with Access personnel nationally on the ongoing development and delivery of the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) Scheme. Prior to working in higher education Sheila worked as a Health Development Worker with the Traveller Visibility Group Cork and as a residential Care Assistant in both family support and emergency homeless services. A graduate of University College Cork, Sheila holds a Bachelor in Social Science (2001), Master in Social Science (Youth & Community Work) (2003) and a Diploma in Management Practice (2020).

Rebekah holds a BA(Hons) in Addiction Counselling and PhD in drug sociology from WIT; her research focuses on public health and community development and she is a former Irish Research Council awardee. Rebekah sits on the Adult Continuing Education (ACE) Diploma of Substance Misuse and Addiction Studies Board in University College Cork and lectures for both ACE and An Cosán in Dublin, her teaching areas include Substance Misuse, Community Development and Wellbeing. Rebekah has experience designing and delivering a social action model for teaching which supports marginalised and vulnerable groups.

Lyn holds a Bachelor of Social Science and a Masters in Social Work from University College Cork. She is a professionally qualified CORU registered social worker with extensive experience in social work practice.  Lyn holds a postgraduate qualification in advanced fieldwork practice and supervision (social work.)  As project coordinator of the National Practice Teaching in Social Work Initiative (NPTSWI) Lyn worked with the 6 HEI’S providing social work education in Ireland and this included creating a website of teaching and learning resources for practice teachers supervising social work students on placement. Lyn teaches on the undergraduate social work course in UCC and her teaching and research areas are social work skills, professional practice and continued professional development.