Citrix and IT Sligo join forces for direct education to jobs project
Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD was at IT Sligo last Friday (February 24) to officially launch the Citrix Academy Network in Ireland, designed to equip students with advanced technical skills essential for an IT career in virtualisation or networking. IT Sligo is the first Higher Education Institution in Ireland to join the Academy Network, offering the course to third level students.
The Citrix Academy Network will see current students of the computing programmes at IT Sligo take a skills-led course to achieve industry certification across emerging technologies such as virtualisation and cloud computing. The accreditation also includes potential opportunities to undertake valuable work experience with channel partners which will allow students to put theory into practice.
The first 25 students have recently started the course at the Institute and a further 55 students are expected to begin the accreditation process by the end of the year. It is thought that over 100 students will complete the modules this year. Further, by September 2012, the course will also be available to those that wish to take the accreditation as a standalone course, without studying for a degree.
Through this initiative Citrix is investing in the education and skills progression of the next generation and enabling graduates to develop the core skills necessary for a career in cloud computing. IT Sligo is also investing in infrastructure to support a range of computing qualifications.
Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD said “Technology is one of our most promising and critical sectors. We currently have widespread demand from IT employers for skilled workers in the areas of virtualisation and networking. I welcome this initiative by Citrix and IT Sligo in joining forces to create a direct education to jobs opportunity. I believe it is an excellent example of how industry and education can work together to create this direct opportunity for employment and that it is a great incentive for students to work towards.”
John Kelly, senior director, Customer Technical Support and Education Services, EMEA at Citrix said: “This comprehensive course will be highly valued by the ICT industry in Ireland and we are delighted to be investing in Ireland’s next generation of IT professionals. Ireland is an attractive location for technical services due to the talented and highly skilled workforce and it is critically important that we continue to meet the skills need of industry.
There is an obligation on industry and third level institutions to proactively work together to reach out and achieve shared goals. By doing this, we can fill knowledge jobs, drive higher value, help automate processes and lower costs – all of which will help steer Ireland’s competitiveness and efficiency forward as a place to do business.”
Professor Terri Scott, President of IT Sligo, said: “We are thrilled to be the first higher education institution in Ireland to offer this accreditation which will benefit students, employers and industry. This is a win-win situation – the students gain qualifications in an area which has considerable job prospects and industry is provided with graduates that are immediately fit for purpose. Higher education has a duty to adapt and work with industry in the best interests of the student and at IT Sligo we have a strong reputation of delivering for the needs of our stakeholders, whether it’s through the delivery of bespoke online courses or by tailoring existing full time programmes, like we have done with the Citrix Academy.”
Image Captions:
Above: Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD pictured with President of IT Sligo, Professor Terri Scott and John Kelly, senior director, Customer Technical Support and Education Services, EMEA at Citrix at the launch of the first Cirtix Academy in Ireland at IT Sligo.
Below: Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD meets with staff and students involved with exciting research projects at IT Sligo during his visit to the Institute last Friday.
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