At least three of the 22 in-house companies based at IT Sligo’s Innovation Centre will be announcing significant expansions in 2012, resulting in a 20 per cent increase in jobs there, according to Niall McEvoy, IT Sligo’s Head of Innovation.

While acutely aware of the turbulence in the economic climate, as uncertainty about the euro overshadows the approach of the New Year, McEvoy insists that the outlook for regional entrepreneurial activity is healthy.

“I have no doubt that we will continue to see growth in three key areas – ICT (Information and Communications Technology), the sustainable energy sector and in the whole medical devices/pharmaceutical area,” he predicted.

The Innovation Centre Manager’s optimism for 2012 is partly based on his observations about the commitment of entrepreneurs, especially among those who have recently been made redundant and are making new starts.

“The quality of the new business ideas we are seeing is exceptional. These people are hungry to make a go of it and so they have identified gaps or market niches and are making calculated decisions about the products they want to sell”.

IT Sligo has recently secured funding from Enterprise Ireland to maintain its Enterprise Platform Programme CEIM, which it runs in partnership with Letterkenny IT to support and train new entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground. “The continued support of Enterprise Ireland to this key programme will mean 15 new places for entrepreneurs in 2012,” explained Janette Gillen, Innovation Centre Manager.

Over its nine year history this programme has led to the establishment of nearly 60 new start-ups in the region and the quality and range of these new businesses continues to develop and encourage.

Another scheme which has seen phenomenal growth in 2011 is the Innovation Voucher Programme which is funded by Enterprise Ireland and gives entrepreneurs a €5,000 package of specialist support and consultancy service from a Higher Education Institute. “IT Sligo has seen a five -old increase in the take-up of these vouchers in 2011,” explained the Innovation Centre Manager.

The Centre staff is particularly excited about the future of the 22 in-house companies who currently employ 60 people at the Innovation Centre. “We are confidently predicting a 20 per cent increase in employment with Centre based companies by mid-2012,” said McEvoy.

Four companies recently graduated from the centre and moved on a growing base of national and international customers.

“We are not under-estimating the challenges ahead but the numbers of queries we have received in the past month alone from entrepreneurs who already have not just good ideas, but have done the market research and identified their market, is very encouraging”, said McEvoy.

IT Sligo is closing for the Christmas break at 6pm on Thursday, December 22^nd and will reopen at 8.30am on Wednesday, January 4^th.

The only exception to these closing times is for arrangements for apprentices. Registration for apprentices takes place on Tuesday, January 2^nd and classes commence on January 3^rd.

Season’s greetings to one and all.

Image Credit: By mtcarlson Creative commons on Flickr

Students from the Bachelor of Business in Tourism and Event Management are working with Ballinacarrow Boxing Club in the organisation of a ‘Boxing Blitz’ tournament in January.

The tournament will be held in the Best Western hotel (previously the Southern Hotel) on the January 22^nd, to help raise awareness of the sport and to attract new participants.

This tournament will showcase Sligo’s under 14’s category from the club. It will include 32 boxers and 16 flights in total. This event will showcase some of the clubs bright new stars including David Quinn, Aaron Gethins and Saidhbh Green.

The Ballinacarrow Boxing Club has recently teamed up with IT Sligo to offer classes every week. It is hoped that this newly formed club will run a number of White Collar Boxing events in the New Year. Anyone interested in joining should be of reasonable fitness and under the age of 35.

Any person over the age of 9 can join Ballinacarrow boxing club and information will available at the Boxing Blitz for anyone who is interested in getting involved in the sport.

Tickets are €5 and are available from the Students’ Union shop at IT Sligo, Ballinacarrow Boxing Club, and Sport shops in Sligo. The event will run from 3pm to 5pm on January 22^nd. 2012.

A graduation event with a difference took place in Sligo last week when the founders of four new local companies who have already established national and international markets, were honoured.

The dynamic entrepreneurs who were nurtured through the start-up phase  by staff at the Innovation Centre at IT Sligo, have all  expanded and moved into new premises as they continue to grow their customer base.

On Thursday a Graduation event at the Glasshouse Hotel was hosted by the Innovation Centre for the companies, when the founders of Good4U, Travel Logic, Verus Precision and Firefly Orthoses were presented with plaques  to mark their successful graduation from the Innovation Centre.

Mr McEvoy said the four companies who graduated from the Innovation Centre over the course of 2011 had a lot in common.

They were led by dynamic and energetic entrepreneurs, they had all  developed world class products and services in niche markets, and all trade internationally from  headquarters  in the north west region

“And having honed your skills and established a network of contacts at the Innovation Centre,  you all  provide high quality employment, an achievement to be proud of in these challenging times,” added Mr McEvoy.

The  four companies join a special elite of companies who have graduated from the Innovation Centre’s Enterprise Platform Programme ( CEIM),  which is  about to enter its ninth cycle in January 2012, he added.

In that period, the CEIM programme produced 53 start-up companies, 19 of which are  trading internationally.  “These 53  start-ups employ 160 people in the region and are the engine of growth for the future”,  Mr McEvoy told the gathering.

The scale of ethnic diversity in Ireland was recently outlined to a US audience with a special interest in social care, by Dr Perry Share, Head of the Department of Humanities at IT Sligo.

During a recent visit to mark International Week at Wheelock College in Boston, Dr Share delivered a keynote address “Social care in a multicultural society: Lessons from Ireland”.

Wheelock College which was established in 1888 aims “to improve the lives of children and families”.   A private college, it  is strongly focused on educating for the social professions – in early childhood education, social work, juvenile justice and related areas. Because of a common interest in early childhood education, Wheelock and IT Sligo have developed strong links and the colleges signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year.

In his address, Dr Share, the Presidential International Visiting Scholar, pointed out that from 1996 to 2006 there had been a significant surge in the number of EU-born people resident in this country, and also in the proportion born in non EU states who live in the Republic of Ireland.  He explained that there had been a big increase in the numbers arriving here from specific countries such as Poland, Nigeria, Latvia, Brazil, Lithuania, China, Slovakia and Estonia.

Dr Share told the gathering that the vast majority of Polish immigrants were young, male and Catholic and that they worked mainly in construction retail, hospitality and as cleaners “very like the traditional Irish emigrants of the 1950s”. He said that many people from the Irish American community think of Ireland in terms of emigration rather than immigration, and don’t realize how “fluid” the situation is now as people follow the job opportunities, and move easily between countries.

Dr Share visited Wheelock at the invitation of college President Jackie Jenkins-Scott. His week-long visit coincided with Wheelock’s International Week which had as its theme “Celebrating and Promoting International Educational Exchange”.

Dr Share met with educators from South Africa, Israel,  Guatemala, Ghana  and the Caribbean, and during the week he visited  ABCD Boston – the city’s leading community development and welfare organisation.

He also attended the ‘Passion for Action’ Leadership Award dinner at the spectacular John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, where current educational and future student leaders were honoured. Prior to the dinner, Dr Share toured  the ‘President’s Room’ of the library and viewed numerous personal artefacts of the Kennedy family, including a book personally inscribed by President Eamon de Valera to JFK on the occasion of his visit to Ireland in 1963. He also met with Dr Bernard Lafayette and Virginius Thornton, who were part of the inner circle of Dr. Martin Luther King, the American civil rights leader.

Dr Share stressed the importance of developing links between IT Sligo and Wheelock College.  Wheelock’s Professor Diane Levin spoke at the recent Early Childhood Care and Education Conference, and it is hoped that future activities will include student exchanges and placements, faculty exchanges, as well as joint research and joint programmes.

“We believe that at IT Sligo we are preparing our students for the global workplace and indeed we have graduates in Australia and Sweden,” said Dr Share.

Wheelock will mark its 125^th anniversary in 2013 with an international conference focusing on young people in the world today, and Dr Share says IT Sligo is anxious to work with them on that project.

The founder of Turn2me, a website focused on providing mental health supports, will visit IT Sligo this Friday, December 9th to speak to students about services available through the website.

Oisin Scollard will give a presentation on how the website works at in A0006 at 10am on Friday and all students are welcome to attend.

This website www.turn2me.org is a place for people with mental health and personal problems of all ages to share, discuss and offload those problems. It’s a 100% confidential, non-judgemental and completely anonymous and FREE.

Image Credit:www.turn2me.org

IT Sligo student Darragh Devaney has been awarded the prestigious CPA Merit Award by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland. A native of Sligo, Darragh received the award for the best performing student in the accounting subjects on the new three year BA (Hons) in Accounting.

John Joe Gillen, Programme Chair for the BA in Accounting said, “IT Sligo are delighted that CPA have agreed to present an award. This degree is an excellent base for students who wish to pursue a professional qualification, with generous exemptions available from professional accountancy bodies.”

CPA Ireland is one of the main Irish accountancy bodies, with more than 5,000 members and students in Ireland. The CPA title is the most commonly used designation internationally for professional accountants and the Institute’s qualification enjoys worldwide recognition. Its current membership operates in public practice, industry, financial services and the public sector and CPAs work in over 32 countries around the world.

Image Caption: Pictured from left: Keith McManus, Head of Dept of Information Systems, Darragh Devaney, student, Ciara Murphy, CPA, and John Joe Gillen, lecturer and Programme Chair for the BA (Hons) in Accounting.

Links between IT Sligo and the HSE Ballytivnan Training Centre have been strengthened through the HSE Community Link Project for people with disabilities.

The connection was marked this week at a presentation of a hand-made wall banner made by the students involved in the project for the Sanctuary at the Institute. The Sanctuary was made available to the students on a weekly basis by former IT Sligo Chaplain Fr John Coughlan and the group made the banner as a symbol of thanks for the use of the space for their Spiritual Wellbeing Programme.

The Community Link Programme focuses on the health, educational and social well being of people with disabilities and facilitates access to activities that nurture the development of positive health and leisure.

Students involved in the project use a room in Institute’s Innovation Centre for their FETAC accredited training sessions and they also take part in activities in the Knocknarea Arena on a weekly basis. IT Sligo and the Community Link Programme are also developing links in relation to student placements and work experience.

Gordon Ryan, Head of Development and Business Operations at IT Sligo, said that engagement with the community organisations like the Community Link Project is an important part of the role of the Institute in the wider region; “The facilities we have on campus like the Innovation Centre and the Knocknarea Arena are facilities for the everyone in the region, not just for our staff and students, and we welcome this type of link up. The students from the project are now a very welcome and familiar presence on campus and they have integrated very well into the college community.”

Ann Marie Banks, Service Manager for HSE, Ballytivnan Training Service, said:  “The links between our service and IT Sligo go back many years and I believe partnerships like these provide a pivotal role in developing locally based and integrated responses to the individual needs of persons experiencing disability.

“The benefits of integration for persons with a disability include higher self-esteem, better social skills and building new friendships while college staff and students benefit from the diversity that students with a disability bring to the campus”.

Image Caption: Pictured at The Sanctuary at IT Sligo at the presentation of a banner made by students of the Community Links Programme are (Centre) Gordon Ryan, IT Sligo Head of Development and Business Operations and Ann Marie Banks, Training Services Manager, Ballytivnan. Also pictured are Damien McCallion, Area Manger Sligo/Leitrim, Irene Durkan, Project Facilitator, Fr John Coughlan and participants on the Community Links Programme, Janette Farrell, Sheila Curran, Sean Rooney, Laura Finan, Aisling Connolly, Jennifer Mulligan, Ann Power, Majella Duffy and Claire Cassidy.  Missing from photograph was Laura Henry.

IT Sligo’s commitment to supporting research for the benefit of wider society has been underlined by the decision to increase the annual spend paid to students who successfully apply for this year’s President’s Bursary Awards.

The Institute is currently seeking applications from students who are interested in participating in a number of key research projects which have the potential to boost Ireland’s economic and social recovery and sustainability.  Eight IT Sligo staff have already received funding for projects covering such diverse areas as assessing the spread of the Asian Clam in Irish waterways to developing mathematical and computer models of the bone and its structure.

Dr John Bartlett, Head of Research at IT Sligo, confirmed that the annual stipend for students participating in the scheme this year is €7,000, up from €6,500 last year. Tuitions fees will also be waived for successful applicants for up to three years. There are currently five places available on the programme for students with the necessary qualifications.

The President’s Bursary Awards were introduced last year to coincide with IT Sligo’s growing reputation in the research area. President of IT Sligo, Professor Terri Scott, said that research is the lifeblood of Higher Education Institutions. “This continued investment is a demonstration of IT Sligo’s commitment to supporting the development of research for the benefit of the wider region. It is an investment in our students, our staff and in IT Sligo’s positioning as a regional hub for research advancements, which will benefit the entire region,” she said.

Dr Bartlett said that this year’s research projects are particularly relevant to the academic and thematic areas being promoted at the Institute. “The President’s Bursary Awards provide an excellent opportunity for students to access Masters by research and PhD study,” he added.

Places for students are still available on the following successful projects in the Presidents Bursary Awards Programme 2011:

1. Monitoring and Control of Bioresorbable Polymer Processing to Accelerate the Development of Medical Devices;
2. Assessment of the Population Dynamics, Spread and Management of Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea), a new Irish Aquatic Invader.
3. Mathematical Modelling of Bone Fracture;
4. Units in modular group algebras;
5. Biofuel-directed Phycoremediation of air emissions and wastewaters.

Read more about these projects and how to apply here.

Image Caption: Some of the recipients of last year’s President Bursary Awards at IT Sligo with their supervisors and the  President of the Institute, Professor Terri Scott and Head of Research, Dr John Bartlett.

An IT Sligo student who has a strong record of volunteering in Sligo is featured in a national exhibition in celebration of the European Year of Volunteering 2011. The exhibition is sponsored by Campus Engage, the national network for the promotion of civic engagement in Irish higher education.

A student of Applied Social Studies, Mark Millar is one of 20 students featured in the exhibition which was hosted at IT Sligo last week as part of a national tour of Higher Education Institutions. Mark was recognised for his work volunteering with the Legion of Mary and St Vincent de Paul in Sligo.

The photographic exhibition of student volunteering recognises the extent and diversity of student commitment to communities with diverse organisations ranging from the Christina Noble Foundation in Vietnam, to Chrysalis Community Drug Project in Dublin, from the Galway Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to community enterprise in Belfast, from peer mentoring programmes in Limerick and Cork to Karate coaching in Newry.

Image Caption: IT Sligo student of Applied Social Studies, Mark Millar was one of 20 students featured in the Volunteer exhibition which was hosted at IT Sligo last week.