Tuesday, 10.04.2007
Cyberia - IT Made Plain
People take night courses for different reasons - for pleasure, for leisure or to learn something new. Many people turn to night-time education as a means of altering their careers and the their life-path. These are the builders who want to become accountants, the accountants who want to become barristers. They're prepared for hard study and expect the stress and difficulties that inevitably come with the challenge.
There's no points for guessing what's the most in-demand career course today! IT, Information Technology, Internet, Virtual Design… Yes, if you've got a qualification in how to use or how to build a computer, you're practically guaranteed a job. Computer skills are vital for most jobs today and can be invaluable in your personal life - searching for information, sending emails, booking flights or even downloading music off the world wide web - and there are also so many related fields where jobs are in big supply. Plenty of colleges now cater for those interested in this sector; IACT, NUI Galway and the Dun Laoghaire College of Education are just three possibilities.
Since the Tanaiste announced that the microelectronics design sector, already worth $500 million to the economy, it is set to double in value within five years.
Yes, the appropriately named MIDAS (Microelectronics Industry Design Association) group was recently launched by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney, to assess the future skills needs of the microelectronics design industry. And this is its first pronouncement; sweet music to the ears of those who dream of a life of "virtualising" everything for the rest of us!
Microelectronics design is used in developing mobile phones, MRI scanners, DVD and MP3 players, smart cards and many other information technology products.
The MIDAS initiative wants companies who recruit skills in the microelectronics area to come together under the MIDAS Ireland umbrella and work with third-level and Government agencies to decide and meet training and education needs for the sector.
We know that there are basically two types of people interested in a course in computers or information technology; those who want to learn computer skills such as Microsoft Word, Internet, keyboard skills and Excel spreadsheet design - these programmes are invaluable to today's office worker; and then there are those who are already initiated in the information technology field - these folks may be looking for something a little more substantial and long-term in a course.
For the former category of IT student, a course with your local VEC is advisable. For a very reasonable course fee, you can devote a few hours of your week to learning the various computer skills. You could manage two or three courses at once, or just take each one at a time - most are finished in 10 - 12 weeks after which you'll be able to move on to the next class you need, thus building your skills all the time.
We've looked at two pretty modern courses available part-time in the two cutting-edge university campus' in the country - just to give you a flavour of what's available out there for the IT-minded. The Graduate Diploma in Information Technology at DCU is an example of a great part-time course available in the Dublin region for those wanting to jump into the IT industry. The course was initially set up to meet growing need for skilled workers in the rapidly-expanding Irish software industry.
The programme, developed in collaboration with Industry and government agencies also provides non-computing graduates with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of Information Technology. It runs over one year if taken on a full-time basis and involves two semesters of taught material. The course can be taken over two years on a part-time basis. The programme runs on an annual basis and is subject to HEA funding under the Graduate Skills Conversion Programme. Graduate Skills Conversion funding means that there are reduced fees payable by European Union students accepted on to the programme. The academic year comprises two fifteen-week semesters.
Applicants to the programme must have, at a minimum, a second-class honours primary degree in a non-computing discipline, or an equivalent qualification. Watch out though - strong demand for places means that even if you do possess the minimum entry requirements, you're not guaranteed admission to the programme. With the applied nature of the programme, heavy emphasis is placed on practical work, with a large element of continuous assessment on each module.
Both the University of Limerick and DCU are offering a Graduate Certificate / Graduate Diploma / M.Sc. in Computer Applications for Education. This can be taken on a part-time basis, over eighteen months in the case of the Graduate Diploma and over two years in the case of the M.Sc. It is also possible to obtain a Graduate Certificate if you decide to bow out after one year. The programme aims to train professional educators from different backgrounds in the knowledge and skills required for the effective use of computing technology in teaching.
Applicants for the M.Sc. programme should at least have a second-class honours primary degree as well as three year's experience in teaching. Applicants to the Graduate Diploma programme should have a primary degree or equivalent qualification, and should have at least three years pr experience of teaching. This is a pretty obvious course option for any ambitious professeurs out there.
If the Irish economy is to continue to grow, it will need more and better educated people to take up employment. We've seen the future of work, and its name is information technology! Get familiar with it.
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- This is IT too
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