18 February, 2019

CIT Extended Campus together with CIT Careers Service welcomed over 40 SMEs to the Bishopstown Campus for the Connect with CIT event on February 12th.

Connect with CIT, now in its second year, enables smaller sized companies to explore work placement and recruitment opportunities with CIT students. The event also gives companies the opportunity to network with lecturers, programme coordinators and other employers and to discover ways to develop links with the Institute.

The day began with a careers fair in the Student Centre where students and graduates met with the visiting companies to hear about work experience and graduate job opportunities within the organisations. This was followed by a light lunch and presentations from several speakers on the benefits of collaborating with CIT.

Sean Donovan from the School of Business has been involved with work placement since the programme began. He shared some inspirational stories about the positive impact student placement can have on companies and how these initial placements are a valuable first step in shaping the future career path of students while strengthening CIT’s links with industry. 

Deirdre Goggin explained the role of CIT Extended Campus in stimulating and supporting organisations interacting with CIT.  Interactions span various areas including student placement and projects, recognition of prior learning and work based learning, learning clinics, research and development, and use of equipment and facilities.

Barry Glavin, Service Director of Hanley Calibration, shared his experience of the positive impact collaborating with CIT has had for his company. Having welcomed students on placement for many years, Barry said he has always been impressed with the calibre of students, adding that he has managed to employ the cream of the crop through this process.

Michael McAuliffe from Centre for Advanced Photonics & Process Analysis (CAPPA) explained how CAPPA conducts both applied and fundamental research on photonics for applications in areas as diverse as telecommunications, medical devices, food and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Michael also highlighted the benefits of collaborating with CIT, the various Government funding incentives that are available to SMEs and the application process.

The final speaker on the day was Marie Ni Mhurchu, founder of Activity Days, a bespoke tourism company. Maire spoke about how she availed of the Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Vouchers Initiative to conduct research to develop her business. She outlined the simplicity of the application process and the benefits that her company accrued through the initiative.

Some of the companies in attendance included Fehily Timoney & Company, Consulting Engineers and Environmental Scientists; Ocean 74, manufacturers of marine multimineral products; Cloud Cix, an internet data centre and Cobots.ie, distributors of collaborative robots and accessories in Ireland.

Dan Buckley, owner of Cobots.ie said Connect with CIT was a great opportunity to meet with the future creators of automation, “We brought along our Universal Robot & Mobile Industrial Robot and they happily mixed in amongst the students! It was wonderful to watch the enthusiasm of Ireland’s future Innovators.”

Reflecting on the benefits for the students of this opportunity to interact with smaller businesses, CIT Careers Officer Treasa Morgan said, “We were delighted to facilitate close to 500 students for their first introduction to these exciting businesses. It was particularly valuable to second year students who are looking ahead to placement next year, as well as those in final year and postgraduate courses”.

If you would like to hear more about the opportunities for your organisation to collaborate with CIT staff, students and researchers please contact CIT Extended Campus on 021 433 5302 or email extendedcampus@cit.ie