By Timmy Kelleher
DCU has seen a growing number of online gambling companies, financial institutions and multinational management consultancies actively seeking talented graduates for their IT divisions.
DCU management are aware of the growing opportunities for graduates in the Information and communications technology (ICT) sector. Christine Stears, the Marketing Officer for the Faculty of Engineering & Computing, said “From 2009 to 2011 the numbers of employers attending to meet graduates and possibly recruit has practically doubled. From all our CA [Computer Applications] graduates, the majority of them are employed.”
Shauna McDaniel, a lead recruiter for Morgan McKinley specializes in ICT recruitment, particularly in the area of java computer programming.
When asked what she believed were the most current technologies in the ICT space Ms McDaniel said, “From my own research it appears that Flex and Cloud are the technologies that are beginning to take off at the moment. Mobile technology is also big.”
Ms McDaniel also stresses the importance of theoretical knowledge and good academic standing for any IT graduate seeking employment.
“It is not enough to simply complete a course of study in an ICT subject to a pass standard and then expect a graduate position in an ICT firm as a matter of right,” she said.
“There are a lot of graduates that come to me looking for work but companies look for grads with 1.1/2.1 degrees and not so much 2.2 or lower.”
Ms Mc Daniel also stressed that the work was not over once ICT students graduate.
“A graduate is expected to do a technical test before going for an interview a large number of them do not to pass it. I will have stressed to them beforehand to study for it because it is like any test you would do in college but a lot of them don’t.”
The ICT sector is a prosperous option for university graduates, as four of the top five global ICT firms have a presence in Ireland, and the sector is experiencing year on year growth of 6 per cent, unmatched anywhere else in the economy.
DCU offers a route into the ICT sector for those not from a computing or science background.
The School of Computing offers a subsidised Graduate Diploma in Information Technology which is specifically aimed at non IT/Computer Science graduates. The programme equips them for a career in the sector or for further study in the field.
Ms Stears says that all ICT course in DCU are supportive of students learning needs, offering ”a programming support officer based in the Computing Building dedicated to helping all student with any programming problems they have. DCU also has the Maths Learning Centre to help all students with any/every form of maths problems.“
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