Dublin’s reputation as a technology hub makes it an attractive place to come and work for foreign staff aiming to gain experience working at multinational companies.

High quality and relevant qualifications
The Institutes of Technology operate a unique system that allows students to progress from two year (short-cycle) programmes through Bachelor degree to Masters and Doctoral degrees. They provide programmes that reflect current and emerging knowledge and practices and promote self-management, critical analysis, leadership, decision making and entrepreneurship. Graduates of the Institutes of Technology are skilled in the application of the knowledge, principles and concepts of their chosen discipline. They are life-long learners who remain reflective practitioners throughout their lives. They are effective communicators noted for their cultural and social awareness. In short, they are ready to undertake roles, responsibilities and challenges in business, industry, the professions, public services and society.

The Institutes offer programmes in a wide-range of disciplines, with particular emphasis on the following broad areas:

• Engineering and Architecture, including Civil Engineering, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Structural Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Electronic Systems Engineering, Mechatronics, Marine and Plant Engineering, Architecture, Interior Architecture, Architectural Technology, Quantity Surveying

• Science and Technology including Environmental Science, Biomedical Science, Marine Electrography, Nautical Science, Sustainable Technology, Pharmaceutical Technology, Process Plant Technology, Biosciences, Biotechnology, Physics, Instrumentation, Nutrition and Health Science, Nursing, Analytical Chemistry, Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture

• Information , Communications and Creative Technologies including Information systems, Information Technology Support, Cloud computing, Multimedia, Software Development, Computer Networking, Audio Visual Media Technology, Web Engineering, Animation, Film and Television Production, Design,

• Business including Finance, Management, Accounting, Business Administration, Marketing, Supply Chain and Transport Management, Business Information Systems, Business Studies, International Business, Retail Management

• Humanities, including Communications, Languages, Social Studies, Psychology, Cyberpsychology

The Institutes’ awards are included at the highest levels of the Irish National Framework of Qualifications, which in turn is aligned to the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area (‘Bologna’ Framework) and the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF). Thus they are recognised throughout the European Higher Education Area and the wider world as quality assured first, second and third cycle qualifications.

To find out more about our institutes of technology log onto http://www.educationinireland.com or http://www.ioti.ie

There are 7 universities in Ireland all providing cutting edge taught and research training to Masters and PhD students. The seven universities are
• Trinity College Dublin
• University College Dublin
• University College Cork
•National University of Ireland Galway
•National University of Ireland Maynooth
•University of Limerick
•Dublin City University

Fully Structured Phd programmes are now available in many research areas in the Irish Universities:

Structured PhD programmes have a strong focus on developing a range of transferable skills, giving the student a more rounded PhD experience which assists greatly in a student’s career upon graduation. The following are key characteristics of a structured PhD programme in Irish Universities. Such programmes may involve inter-institutional collaboration. The structured PhD’s available in Ireland can be characterised as follows:

• The core component of the Structured PhD programme is the advancement of the knowledge through original research
• The structured PhD is designed to meet the needs of the employment market that is wider than academia
• It is a formalised integrated programme of personal and professional development activities
• It enables the development of discipline specific knowledge
• It enables the development of research skills
• It enables the development of generic/transferable skills
• It has declared outcomes (e.g. credits, formal training recognition) ….. in line with national and international best practice (for all training and education components)
• It has declared graduate attributes (e.g. competency profiles) in line with national and international best practice (for all training and education components)
• Supervision is by a principal supervisor(s), with a supporting panel approved by the institution
• Progress to completion is formally monitored against published criteria and supported by formal institutional arrangements in line with national and international best practice;
• Appropriate placements, rotations and assignments across wide sectors of the economy are encouraged for inclusion as part of the structured PhD programme
• Successful completion and examination of the research is the basis for the award of the degree

Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI) today (Monday 28th November 2011) signed an agreement in Toronto with Colleges Ontario which will see up to 1,000 Canadian students coming to Ireland from September 2012 to study in Irish Institutes.

Ontario is the largest province in Canada with a population of over 13 million. Colleges Ontario represents 24 third level colleges which educate undergraduate students up to the equivalent of Level 7 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications. The agreement with the Irish Institutes will allow these students to progress to honours degrees at Level 8 and beyond in Ireland. Graduates of two-year college programs in Ontario can secure an honours degree with two further years of study in Ireland. In some academic disciplines, graduates of three-year programs will be able to secure an honours degree with one further year of study.

The first wave of Canadian students coming to Ireland will study in the areas of electronics engineering, business, internet applications and web development, and hospitality, but further programme areas will be added over the coming months.

In the opposite direction, Irish students will be able to travel to the Ontario colleges for undergraduate and post-graduate studies.

The agreement was signed by Gerry Murray, Chief Executive of IOTI and Linda Franklin, President and CEO of Colleges Ontario who both hailed the agreement as precedent-setting in Canada and Ireland.

Gerry Murray said: “This agreement is unique because it is ‘system to system’, not just an agreement between individual institutions. It is a brilliant opportunity for Irish and Canadian students to substantially broaden their education experience. As well as covering undergraduate education, it also makes provision for partnerships in innovation and applied research, including potential for joint research. There is considerable interest in Canada in the Irish approach to applied research and business incubation in the Institutes of Technology”.

Linda Franklin said: ““The agreement offers tremendous mobility and flexibility to our students. Under the agreement, students will receive financial support to study abroad. For example, Ontario students going to Ireland would see their tuition fees reduced by more than 15 per cent.”

The BEng in Polymer Processing was designed in 2009 in collaboration with First Polymer Training Skillnet to address what was a growing shortage of skills in the polymer (plastics) area. The degree was designed after a series of meetings with the networks steering group, industry groups and selected member companies, as well as a comprehensive survey of the skills needs of the industry which determined that there was an “urgent” need to address a skills shortage.

The course demonstrates the value of open and constructive engagement between industry and academic institutions. This is the only qualification of its kind currently available on the island of Ireland and is delivered online chiefly as a distance learning programme, with some practical sessions scheduled throughout the year.

The polymer industry is an important manufacturing industry in Ireland, with an annual turnover of €1,986 million.

Austin Hanley, Head of School of Engineering at AIT, said that the success of the programme is encouraging of future collaboration: “The skill sets that are combined by these two institutions are appropriately married to meet this market need. On the one hand, AIT’s long-standing leadership as a national centre for polymer development offers the benefits of access to state-of-the-art facilities and to research leaders. On the other hand, IT Sligo’s proven expertise in online programme delivery offers a ready and easily accessible platform for learners in industry. The initial running of the programme has been successful and is encouraging of future collaboration.”

Head of School of Engineering at IT Sligo, Frank Carter, said the online element of the course offered important flexibility for the students, who could remain in employment while undertaking the training required for upskilling. “IT Sligo is the national leader in online education delivery and as the employment market contracts, flexibility in learning has never been more important. We work closely with industry and with other education institutions, where possible, to address employment needs in the workplace and the BEng in Polymer Processing is a tangible example of this type of collaboration in operation,” he said.

First Polymer Training Skillnet and a number of leading companies in the polymer industry initiated the development of the course when an urgent need for skilled graduates in the growing industry become apparent. “We approached IT Sligo because of their excellent track record in online delivery which has made it very accessible to students, many of whom are working full-time. We look forward to continuing our support for this programme, which is fulfilling an acute industry need,” said Catherine Collins, First Polymer Training Skillnet.

Funding for a number of the places on the course was provided by Skillnets. Programme Support Manager with Skillnets, Mat Kujawa, said it is confident that the course is contributing positively to the polymer industry. “Skillnets is delighted to have supported the development and delivery of the BEng in Polymer Processing. This programme, which is the only qualification of its kind in Ireland, has helped address skill shortages experienced by the plastics industry through the delivery of up-to-date, flexible training and we are confident that these newly acquired skills will make a real difference in the workplace.”

Marian Byron, Director of Industrial Products & Services Group with IBEC said that it’s important that academic institutions and industry work together in this way to react to skills shortages in important industries like polymer. “More than 11,000 people are employed in the plastics sector in Ireland and it’s essential that we ensure that our workforce are skilled to the level that employers need in order to sustain that level of employment here,” she said.

Pat Whyte of Irish Micro Mouldings in Inverin in Co Galway, was one of the employers involved in the development of the course and an employee of his company is amongst the first cohort of graduates from the BEng. “This course has filled a huge gap in education and training of much needed plastics engineers in several industries – particularly the medical device area, which was of particular interest to us. We are delighted to have one of our employees Jonathan Martin as one of the first graduates. Since the start of the course Jonathan has taken on more plastics based projects with great gusto and enthusiasm and Irish Micro Mouldings were already reaping the benefits long before the course finished. This was a win-win for all involved,” he said.

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