Kathy O'Dwyer began her career supporting young people entering the workplace and women re-entering the workplace, which laid the foundation for her later work in career coaching and training. Recognizing the lack of childcare support for mothers reentering the workplace, she began her entrepreneurial journey by founding an Au Pair organization which later led to the founding of IPBN member company Career Training Internships, for which she acts as both Founder and active Director.

Under her leadership, CTI has grown to partner with various organizations around the world to deliver immersive learning-based internship and training programs in Ireland for international participants who are involved in funded programs under Erasmus+, ESF+, Movetia, PON, and so on.

Kathy told the IPBN, "One of the most fulfilling aspects of my career has been witnessing our participants transform—not only mastering new skills but also gaining the confidence to pursue and achieve their aspirations. Receiving feedback from past participants who’ve gone on to accomplish incredible things is a constant reminder of why we do what we do!"

Kathy’s skillsets include extensive experience in career guidance, coaching, and training. She excels in mentorship, creativity, and networking. Her commitment to lifelong learning is evident in her participation in multiple annual international industry conferences, where she shares knowledge and learns from global experts to keep CTI ahead of industry trends and in the minds of the international organizations the company partners with. 

CTI continues to work on expanding its immersive learning program offers, including the addition of virtual internships and career-focused mini-stay programs. This is because, as Kathy told the IPBN, "The experience paradox—where jobs require experience but won’t offer opportunities to gain it—limits career growth for many. At CTI, we address this by offering learning-based internship programs that provide hands-on experience, equipping participants with the skills and confidence they need to break into competitive job markets across multiple industries while immersing themselves in an English language environment with the full support of our experienced team."  

But that's not all. Recent achievements include being named as a finalist in the Cork Digital Marketing Awards 2024 and Kathy’s Business All-Star Lifetime Achievement Award from the All Ireland Business Foundation. These accolades reflect Career Training Internships' ongoing success and commitment to providing high-quality learning-based training experiences.

And it's no wonder. As Kathy said herself, "The key to sustainable growth is building strong partnerships with organizations that share our commitment to high-quality training and education." And that's just what they've been awarded for having done. And that's what the company intends to continue doing.

Through this Spotlight series article, CTI hopes to convey the positive impact of learning-based internship programs on international participants and encourage organizations to apply for and promote the use of national and EU-level funding to support vocational training across multiple industries. They aim to get the word out on the CTI brand, expand their international network, and demonstrate their commitment to empowering individuals by fostering professional growth.