The Sunday Business PostMay 24, 2015 Focus On 33 Postgraduate & 4th Level Education a special 4-Page report

Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) offers a wide range of taught postgrad-uate programmes

in business and humanities, engineering, science and in-formatics, music, art, design and media communications.

Its taught programmes are internationally recognised and prepare the graduate for a career in the workplace, or for those already working, this further qualification can en-hance their career or perhaps help them transition onto a different path.

According to Dr Niall Smith, head of research, CIT, “Our taught programmes are updated to ensure they are relevant, job-centred and

reflect current trends. They are designed to be intellec-tually stimulating with a focus on developing independent thinking and problem-solving capabilities.”

CIT attracts more than 1,100 international students from over 125 countries, and offers lots of supports to help them fit into their new environment.

“CIT is home to over 200 research postgraduates, of which two-thirds are PhDs,” said Smith. “From Septem-ber 2015, all newly-registered PhDs will enrol on structured PhDs, which include addi-tional supports/structures such as personal development plans, supervisory panels to provide advice and support beyond the research itself and,

of course, taught modules - 15 credits minimum, 30 credits max – which are intended to help students with their re-search and with preparing for life after the viva.”

With twice-yearly progress reports and mentoring advice, a CIT research postgraduate is supported from the day they decide to register until they graduate, said Smith.

CIT attracts research fund-ing of around €20 million per annum and focuses on the-matic areas in which it has forged a strong reputation and is internationally competitive, for example, in areas such as the ‘internet of things’, pho-tonics, lifesciences, entrepre-neurship and education.

“The publication record

among CIT research teams is comparable in standing with the university sector and ex-ceeds in some disciplines,” said Smith. “Our record of generating IP is excellent. Knowledge Transfer Ireland data shows that CIT’s return in terms of licences, patents and invention disclosures outper-forms the university sector.”

Such achievements are hard won, but are vitally import-ant as they serve to attract top graduates to research post-graduate positions at CIT.

“Those who have an inter-est in a subsequent academic career can be accommodated into the appropriate research team, while those with an in-terest in working more closely with industry can be similarly obliged, thanks to CIT’s strong industry focus and links.”

Discussing recent achieve-ments, Smith said: “Research-ers from CIT’s Nimbus Centre

for Embedded Systems Re-search have been successful in winning funding for two prestigious ‘Horizon 2020’ Projects in the ‘ICT for En-ergy Efficient Buildings’ call 2015, with approximately €1.5 million from the EU funding programme awarded as part of the development of two international projects.”

The fact that one of its three successful proposals scored highest out of 40 internation-al proposals, underpins CIT’s growing reputation and inter-national standing.

Dr Dirk Pesch, head of the Nimbus Centre, said: “This is a hugely positive achievement for Irish research, simultane-ously elevating the impact of Ireland on the European En-ergy stage and assisting jobs, education and innovation at home. The funding will continue to strengthen the research happening in Nim-

bus, and CIT, on the ‘ener-gy efficient buildings’ topic. This contributes to creating a sustainable Europe for future generations.”

Meanwhile, industry and research projects already

under way at the ‘National Sustainable-Building Energy Test-Bed’, located on cam-pus at CIT, will help improve Europe’s energy efficiency, reducing the gap between predicted and actual energy

performances in buildings, thereby improving carbon emissions and saving money.

For further information email graduate.school@cit.ie or tel 021-433-5099

By Margaret O’Brien

In an increasingly com-petitive and rapidly changing labour mar-ket, upgrading your qualifications has never

been more important. With final exams for most primary degree students all but over,

many are weighing up their options.

Some will choose to con-tinue on their education path by starting a Master’s degree or professional qualification this autumn; others will defer that option for a year or two.

All are aware that to succeed and build a meaningful career,

a primary degree is no longer the education end-line it once was. Today, it is the foundation stone of a lifetime of further education and training.

For this year’s crop of grad-uates, one-year conversion programmes continue to be very popular as a means to develop a niche qualification

or to match their skills with sectors experiencing shortages such as pharmaceutical and IT.

For such students, a con-version course, and there are plenty to choose from, rep-resents a means of getting a foot on the career ladder. Those already in employment make choices on a very dif-

ferent basis, choosing pro-grammes that will fast-track their career or indeed to show their ambition and intent to their employers.

The MBA is still perceived as the pinnacle qualification for those with management am-bitions. An MBA is designed to educate students in areas such

as finances, human resources, marketing, strategy and op-erations management. As a general management degree, it offers a holistic view of the business world and is gen-erally credited with helping holders to better their career and salary prospects.

In the landscape of post-

graduate education here in Ireland, doctoral studies are once more gaining traction. The rise of focused, and in-ternationally competitive research centres across the campuses of most of our universities and Institutes of Technology, has delivered op-portunities for those interested

in pursuing further qualifica-tions through research.

The good news for those seeking further education opportunities, is that they will are spoilt for choice. Perhaps the most difficult part of the equation is making the deci-sion about which course they should opt for.

A new Enterprise Excellence Group has been estab-lished at WIT Business School,

as evidence of the contin-ued commitment by WIT to the creation of new knowl-edge, innovative products and services in the region. It provides the creating spaces for networking, knowledge exchange and an opportunity to engage with cutting edge ideas in lean management theory and practice.

This year saw the Enter-prise Excellence Group host the third Annual Lean Forum event at WIT Business School, an event which has attracted attention from practitioners, policy makers, academics and the south east business community.

As well as hosting this event the WIT Lean Enterprise Ex-cellence Group offers a num-ber of executive programmes

(wit.ie/lean), designed to meet identified industry needs for discrete knowledge and skillsets in lean enterprise and operational excellence, and to cater for employees at different levels within organ-

isations. The programme portfolio

includes a Masters and Post-graduate Diploma (Level 9), a Higher Diploma (Level 8), a Diploma (Level 7); and also PhD qualifications.

Darrin Taylor, co-director of the WIT Lean Enterprise Excellence Group, said: “Suc-cess in lean enterprise excel-lence requires both “hard” and “soft” skills – hard skills encompassing lean tools and techniques, and soft skills such as lean thinking and employee engagement. Too many organisations make the often fatal error of focusing on the hard skills and neglecting the soft skills. This results in a fractured organisation as the tools and techniques on their own will only get you so far along in the journey towards enterprise excellence.”

Without developing soft skills, the organisation will at best create only pockets of excellence manned by a select few well-trained individuals. The WIT Lean Management programmes take a balanced approach to ensure overall excellence.

“In addition to examining the ‘hard’ elements, includ-ing the requisite lean tools and techniques, operation-al and business analytics, and project management, the factor distinguishing the lean programmes at WIT from those in other universities is the opportunity afforded to participants to attain an ap-preciation for wider organisa-tional contexts, cross-sectoral applications, manufacturing and service orientations, and the critical “soft” elements of lean,” said Taylor.

“This ethos and approach is aligned to the Shingo Mod-el, an approach wherein the principles, systems, and cul-ture and behaviours integral to lean enterprise excellence are synthesised and exam-ined. Students examine lean philosophy and thinking; lean leadership; lean strategy and hoshin kanri; systems think-ing and the learning organisa-tion; organisational culture, employee engagement, and lean transformation; and lean coaching and communica-tions.

“The programmes provide a balanced approach between the academic and the prac-tical, and include extensive industry collaboration via live-laboratory assignment projects; site visits; guest speakers; and contributors to ongoing events.

“This industry-academia engagement has seen the WIT Lean Enterprise Excellence Group create an invaluable regional and national asset in the form of a community of learning and practice around Lean and Shingo, best seen in the Annual WIT Lean Forum and the ongoing Lean Practi-

tioner Seminar Series.”The 3rd Annual WIT Lean

Forum, held earlier this month, saw 250 delegates from 67 public and private organisations across all manu-facturing and services sectors hear how Ireland has become a world leader in implement-ing Lean Enterprise and Oper-ational Excellence. There were presentations from Professor Peter Hines, plus Irish-based

global exemplars including DePuy Synthes, Lake Region Medical, Genzyme (a Sanofi company), Teva Pharma-ceuticals Ireland, and Jones Engineering.

Professor Peter Hines, ac-ademic, practitioner, senior certified Shingo facilitator, and world-renowned lean thought leader, was recently appointed visiting professor at the WIT Business School. He said: “A

key part in achieving enter-prise excellence in businesses is the staff learning and de-velopment system. While this has a different feel in every company, a common feature is the attendance at events such as WIT’s Annual Lean Forum, as well as participation in the type of lean masters offered at WIT.”

Hines said he was pleased to cement his relationship with

WIT by becoming a visiting professor. “I see the Institute as the pre-eminent hub for Lean and Shingo in Ireland, and I hope to help WIT build on their existing activity.”

For further information contact Darrin Taylor or Aidan Walsh, co-directors of the WIT Lean Enterprise Excellence Group, at dtaylor@wit.ie or awalsh@wit.ie, or see wit.ie/lean

CIT: an important stepping stone Cork Institute of Technology’s internationally recognised courses and links with industry prepare graduates for successful careers

Lean and mean learning at WIT

Programme directors Darrin Taylor and Aidan Walsh pictured with keynote speakers and WIT faculty at the recent Annual Lean Forum event at WIT, held on May 14

This year’s Rísam awardees with the President, Dr Brendan Murphy and the Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr Stephen Cassidy

Advancing by degrees as students weigh up options

Graduate Research Opportunities Open Evening - 26th May

Tuesday 26th May, 2015

Courtyard, DIT Aungier St, Dublin 2

Time: 4 to 6 pm

www.dit.ie/graduateresearchschool GradResearchatDIT @GRS_DIT

Looking to further your career with a postgraduate research

Join us at the DIT Graduate Research

more about our MPhil and PhD Projects!

Meet supervisors and researchers to discuss your research interests

•

• Get expert advice on funding, applications and research career

@ RCSI 2015

RCSI offers a broad range of taught and research postgraduate courses to Level 10 NFQ for healthcare professionals; managers; and biomedical, health services and population health researchers.

These range from Masters degrees to PhDs across the full spectrum of healthcare disciplines including Clinical Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Population Health, Surgery, Nursing & Midwifery, Physiotherapy, Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Healthcare Ethics, Management and Leadership.

EXCITING POSTGRADUATEDEGREE OPPORTUNITIES

IN HEALTH SCIENCESFROM RCSI

EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN SURGERY I MEDICINE I PHARMACY I PHYSIOTHERAPY I NURSING & MIDWIFERY I RESEARCH I LEADERSHIP I POSTGRADUATE STUDIES I RADIOLOGY I DENTISTRY I SPORTS & EXERCISE MEDICINE

RCSI has been at the forefront of educating healthcare professionals since 1784. With a heritage in surgery, RCSI is an independent degree awarding body across the health sciences spectrum, from undergraduate medicine through to health sciences PhDs.

Based in Dublin and offering a range of part-time and blended learning opportunities for study, alongside full time PhD research degrees, RCSI is dedicated to the development of healthcare leaders who make a difference worldwide.

Postgraduate Diplomas, Masters Degrees, PhDs in:

› Clinical Medicine

› Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

› Nursing & Midwifery

› Physiotherapy

› Surgery

› Healthcare Ethics & Law

› Healthcare Leadership

› Healthcare Management, Quality & Safety

› Translational Health: biomedical to health services & population health themes

For further information: email postgraduateschool@rcsi.ie orvisit rcsi.ie/schoolofpostgraduatestudies