2018 Irish Enterprise Award

EU BUSINESS NEWS / 2018 Irish Enterprise Awards A Contact Details Company: Institute of Technology Sligo Contact: Niall McEvoy Address: Ash Lane, Sligo, F91 YW50, Ireland Phone: 00353 71 91 55385 Website: www.itsligo.ie Best Technology Training Institution 2018 - West Ireland g addition to live online lectures, recordings, and resources students can also access assignments and final exams from their home or place of work through the latest online invigilation technology. Flexibility is the second pillar that drives the success of the organisation’s online learning; students can develop their own study plans based around their work/life commitments. For e.g. a person working 12-hour shifts on a three weeks on, one week off, model can access and engage with all course material during the week off. Many of IT Sligo’s online programmes are bespoke and have been created specifically for large multinational and SME companies such as: Intel, Coca-Cola, Boston Scientific, Abbott, Masonite, Eli Lilly, Janssen Biologics, Pfizer, Stiefel, GSK and Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD). The Institute also collaborates with NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training) in the delivery of biopharma programmes. Another collaborative programme is the B.Eng. in Data Centres Facilities Engineering which was developed in partnership with industry providers including Google, Facebook and Microsoft in order to meet the growing need for upskilling of service personnel in the industry. This course was designed to serve the pan- European Data Centre services community. Additionally, IT Sligo is the co-ordinating provider of a BA (Hons) in Insurance Practice with the Insurance Institute as its Industry partner. The key enabler for this model of apprenticeship is the online delivery which allows apprentices to study online from their place of work one day a week. The programme is for 75% delivered by the employer and 25% by IT Sligo and The Insurance Institute. The current percentage of lifelong learners in Ireland is just 7% compared to an EU average of 10.5%. The Government recently set a target of 15% by 2025 (in line with the EU target). As the leading provider of accessible, online education IT Sligo will deliver much of this growth. Although technology will always be key to online learning, staff are also vital to IT Sligo’s success, and the quality of these staff is a key ingredient in the organisation’s growth strategy, as Brendan highlights. “The internal culture of IT Sligo is innovative, engaged and focused on regional development. Our staff embraced the challenge of moving to online teaching as it opened up new markets for IT Sligo outside of our regional catchment area - which is one of the only regions to suffer population decline in the last census. Staff are encouraged to be innovative and to apply their expertise to real world problems wherever possible. “A major benefit of being located in Ireland is the access to highly qualified and industrially experienced subject matter experts to develop, and lecture on, our courses. A robust education system has produced quality graduates for industry and many of these, in turn, are willing to share their knowledge and experience with our learners through an online medium that impacts on a much greater audience.” Looking to the future, IT Sligo has set an ambitious target of 20% year on year growth in online student numbers for the next five years that will result in 5,500 online learners by 2022. This will be achieved through the development of new strategic partnerships with industry and with universities abroad, as Brendan concludes. “Moving forward, alongside our 20% year on year growth target, at IT Sligo we are also looking at other initiatives that will make our online programmes more accessible and more flexible for our students. Another area for development is the use of micro-credentials (or digital badges) for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This will facilitate students or professionals to take short, online courses and develop discipline specific skills. Spreading the word about the quality learning that we offer is important and our alumni network is integral to that effort. IT Sligo has in excess of 20,000 alumni worldwide, a great strategic asset to promote IT Sligo nationally and internationally. Already we deliver a range of programmes worldwide and we believe that our unique offering of ‘Your study in your time’ has international appeal. Specifically to deal with the Brexit situation, we have rallied our UK alumni to join us at a Sligo Business Network event in London in March to promote our online programmes in the UK. “Overall, the internationalisation of education has brought us borderless learning and great opportunities to grow the number of international enrolments. As online learning continues to evolve and grow, IT Sligo is well-positioned to help teach the world.”