Three talented IT Sligo students have been recognized by a multinational company after helping to re-design one of its key products.
The three Creative Design students, Colm Guckian from Drumsna, Co Leitrim, Jamie Fowley from Church Hill, Sligo, and Damien Fee of Cavanaleck, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, impressed company bosses at the Ballina-based OASIS company which specializes in water dispensing and dehumidification products.
The company, which does business in 100 countries around the globe, recently called on second year students on the IT course for help in developing a stylish new look for a product which has remained unchanged for years.
The student’s designs got the thumbs up from the company.
Oasis is a recognized world leader in the design and manufacture of bottled and pressure water coolers. The company’s European base is in Ballina but the multinational corporation also has facilities in the US, Mexico and Poland.
This is not the first time it has called on students at IT Sligo to help with a design challenge. The company’s strong links with the college have been strengthened by its recruitment of a number of college graduates in engineering roles and it also uses equipment at the IT to prepare rapid prototypes for certain development projects.
Steve Sabin, Engineering Manager at Oasis, said that the recent creative design project benefited the company just as much as the students who were asked to develop a new look for an established dehumidification product that had remained essentially unchanged for a number of years.
At the end of the programme, students had to present a series of drawings illustrating the construction and final appearance of the product.
“I believe that these projects are beneficial to the company, the college and the students,” said Mr Sabin. “The Company gets the benefit of fresh eyes looking at a product and receives a large number of design ideas in a very short period of time.
“The College builds links with local industry while student gets the opportunity to work on a practical project with commercial potential,” he said.
Course lecturers Nevil Walsh and Mark Rooney, who coordinated the project, agree that students get a rare preview of how their training and education will be put to practical use when they leave college.
“The feedback and advice the students get from the company design team is invaluable”, added Mr Walsh.
Image Caption: IT Sligo Creative Design Students Colm Guckian, Jamie Fowley and Damien Fee pictured with their lecturers Nevil Walsh and Mark Rooney