Springboard - Graduate Certificate in Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

The Graduate Certificate in ICT is the first on-line and blended learning, innovative programme which builds on the established portfolio of CSI graduate taught courses but is customised to individual student needs and their prior learning experiences and allows participants to work with the Programme Director to choose their own software programming modules and design their own certificate focusing on software development training on a part-time, flexible and tailored to their needs mode. This means that students can meet their own exact software development needs depending on the area they are coming from, upskill or reskill in the area of software development in their own time, through distance learning, and/or blended learning and position themselves to seize future (and maybe alternative) career opportunities in the Information and Communications Technology industry and applied ICT.

Within the technology sector and according to the CSO's 2010 employment figures, over 74,000 people are employed in ICT companies in Ireland. The innovation taskforce has also estimated that at least 177,000 jobs could be created by 2020. In 2010 over €72 million was spent on the ICT in the schools initiative and according to the Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index for 2009-2010 Ireland was rated 21/133 countries for company spending on R&D. The value of exports from indigenous agency-assisted software companies has reached nearly €1 billion. The sector employs 12,500 people in computer programming, consultancy and related activities. The proposed on-line programme (flexible & part-time) targets the ICT skills shortage reported in the Forfás National Skills Bulletin 2009, which is a key sector of the Irish economy accounting for more than a third of Ireland’s total exports. Core Computing and Software development have been ranked the top skill needs in the ICT sector and in the last three years it has been estimated that the levels of unemployed people with a third level qualification has increased by 300%. The UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics (CSI) has a portfolio of companies from the private sector and in contrast to the current economic climate we (as a School) cannot meet the employers' demand for skilled workforce in ICT. This programme will provide the means for this increased need from employers, though flexible higher education and training opportunities to upskill or reskill on software development (i.e. object oriented programming).

The first on-line programme of its kind in Ireland, the Graduate Certificate in ICT allows participants to work with the Programme Director to choose their own software programming modules (based on the software training needs individual assessment) and design their own certificate focusing on software development training. The programme will offer at least two on-line Java programming modules on level 4 (20 credits). The participants can choose their modules from a list of 40 elective software development related modules. This means that students can exactly meet their own software development needs on their own time, through distance learning and position themselves to seize future (and maybe alternative) career opportunities in the ICT industry. Apart from the technical skills and knowledge though that the programme is offering, our school offers a number of modules on transferable skills. The programme is attractive to unemployed candidates coming from related computer science disciplines, who have specific workplace needs or requirements for professional development in the area of software development. The programme is motivated by the success of Horizons at the undergraduate level and the MSc NL at a postgraduate level. Successful participants might chose to further their studies after this programme by participating in one of the existing postgraduate degrees (MSc in NL or MSc in Computer Science by Conversion).

We are experiencing an education revolution whereby one of the causalities of the collapse of our economy is a rise in the numbers of those returning to education. More than ever before, there is a call for education provisions that are flexible and responsive to the needs of employers/graduate employees. This programme aims to offer the unique opportunity to students even coming from different experiential backgrounds to:

• Graduate with a Graduate Certificate in ICT (Level 9) from Ireland’s leading Computer Science and Informatics School;
• Become familiar and proficient with Java systems and technologies and to prepare for the Sun Certified Java Associate (SCJA) qualification;
• Get a detailed assessment of their individual software training needs so they can choose the most appropriate modules for their career development;
• Have the opportunity to negotiate their own learning-contract that is tailored to their specific skill requirements & career agenda and specialization focus;
• Strengthen their specialisation by taking complementary modules other than core computing in other software implementation areas where our school has established international reputation;
• Address learning outcomes for further self-directed and autonomous learning, facilitating career progression in the context of multidisciplinary thematic postgraduate programmes;
• Make judgements in the context of area of specialisation and provide the ability to integrate knowledge from prior background in the area of ICT;
• Have access to the latest information in terms of employers' demands in the area of ICT and applied ICT through the already built careers' portfolio of School of Computer Science and Informatics;
• Have access to further study in the ICT area at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

All ‘Springboard’ students at UCD will take the ‘Future Fit’ careers module which will provide training in areas such as career planning, and ‘soft skills’, along with job-seeking and interview techniques. Prior to commencing their chosen course, all students will participate in a ‘College Knowledge’ induction programme to help them prepare for the course and maximize their studies.
The programme is motivated by the success of Horizons at the undergraduate level and MSc in Computer Science at postgraduate level and has been designed in line with recommendations made in the UCD Education Strategy and in line with constantly evolving industry needs. The general feedback in our School is that there is a huge demand for flexible on-line offered courses.
Please Note: Students on all CSI programmes must have their own laptops. Advice and assistance available on request.

Testimonials

Suzanne Cotter – college was a confidence boost for me
“When you’re working for ten years you can feel like you’re in a bit of a rut. Going back to college really changes the way you think – it feels like your brain functions more efficiently!”

Suzanne Cotter, originally from Kerry but living in Dublin for seventeen years, was let go from the telecomms industry in 2009. She’s now working as a database consultant for a financial software company. She feels that her masters in computer science helped her get the interview to the job she’s now in. “It was really good for my confidence”, she says.

For Suzanne, going back to college was an opportunity to figure out what she wanted to do. She studied for a Graduate Certificate in Computer Science at UCD under the 2009 Labour Market Activation programme and then went on to do an MSc.

She admits that the move back to college was a challenge, “You really have to manage your own time, and motivate yourself to get projects done.” But her classmates were supportive, “there were plenty of people in my situation, but also some college graduates. It was good to mix it up and share our experiences.”

In the course, Suzanne got up to speed with some topics, and explored some new ones, “The module that I got the most from was in Python computer programming. But I also studied Java and did a module in Bioinformatics, which was a brand new area for me.”

Isekhua Evborokhai - you have to improve yourself while you can
IT graduate Isekhua knew that to re-enter the jobs market, he would need to update the skills from his BSc. “I was hoping to advance myself, and open up a whole new chapter of IT.”

Isekhua has now started his own business in consultancy, helping companies with their ICT requirements. “At the moment, I’m working with a large organisation, but I hope to drill down to home users and small offices too.”

In 2009 Isekhua was let go from the IT company he had been working with for several years. He returned to college to make the best use of his time. “You have to improve yourself while you can, because when things turn around, it’s the people with the up-to-date skills that will be snapped up.”

He studied on the Graduate Certificate in Computer Science at UCD, which is a ‘negotiated learning’ programme. This means that students can work with an academic advisor to pick the modules that meet their own needs and plans. Isekhua focussed on forensic computing, and took modules in applications forensics, digital investigation and computer forensics. “I chose forensic computing because I wanted to create better job opportunities for myself. At the moment my business supports clients’ IT requirements, but I’m planning to expand my services in the coming years to include what I learned on the course.”

Alan Cowap - the market’s looking good
“Thirteen years is a lifetime in IT”, says Alan Cowap, who’s currently finishing his masters in Computer Science at UCD.

Alan was made redundant from his role as a software engineer in 2009, when the telecomms company he was working for had to scale back its workforce. “I graduated in 1996, and so much had changed. I’d see job descriptions looking for programming languages like Ruby, the language that powers Twitter .That wasn’t around when I was studying. When you’re working, you’re good at what you need to do, but you’re not necessarily up-to-speed with new technologies that emerge.”

For Alan, the Graduate Certificate in Computer Science at UCD that was funded under the 2009 Labour Market Activation allowed him get to grips with new developments such as mobile and Cloud computing. For him, new opportunities have opened up in the mobile area, “One of the things that we did was give a presentation to industry on our work on the Human-Computer-Interaction course. We were prizewinners and received Nexus phones from Google, who were part of the panel that day.”

Having the Nexus phone proved very helpful to Alan, who has discovered a strong interest in Android App development. Having the handset allowed him to test his Apps on the real device, rather than using an emulator. “I’ve been working part-time for an Irish VOIP company as an App developer, and am currently working on some projects in my own right. Once I’ve finished my masters I know I’ll have options to work in this area. The market’s looking good.”

For Further Information on: 

• Module Offerings
• Programme Learning Outcomes
• Entry Requirements
• Application Process and Contact Information

Please visit Springboard - Graduate Certificate in Information and Communications Technology (ICT)