In 2006, a historic partnership was formed between the SKILL Project and the John F. Kennedy, Jr. Institute. The SKILL Project is a Dublin-based collaboration between trade unions and the Health Service Executive to provide education, training, and development initiatives for support staff in the health sector.

Six dedicated, hardworking individuals employed at Irish agencies that serve people with disabilities were awarded the prestigious Kennedy Fellowship. They received mentoring and tuition aid for two years of academic study between 2006 and 2008.

The awards were presented at a conference on "The SKILL Factor in the Irish Health Services" by Dr. William Ebenstein, Executive Director of the JFK, Jr. Institute, and Mr. Tim O'Malley TD, Irish Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children. For more information, see the address by Minister O'Malley or the Fall 2007 SKILL Newsletter.

In Fall 2008, Institute staff joined their Irish colleagues in Dublin to select ten new Kennedy Fellows for 2008-2010. The Irish Kennedy Fellows Program is coordinated by Alan Smith and Ann Judge of the SKILL Project.