There has been a surge in demand for many courses at IT Sligo this year with 1,250 first year students expected to begin their third level studies at the Institute this week. Applications for some degree courses are up by as much as 20 per cent.
The courses which have seen the biggest increase in applications include Tourism/Event Management, Recreation & Leisure and a range of computing courses.
Registrar Dr Brendan McCormack said that courses in areas which are considered to have good employment prospects currently have experienced the highest increase in points; “Computing, tourism and the sports industry are all experiencing an upturn in the job market at the moment so it’s no surprise that our courses in this area, which are also traditionally very popular, have received an increase in applications this year,” he said.
“The Government has pledged to exploit the country’s €5 billion tourism industry and that seems to have resulted in a direct doubling of points for our Bachelor of Business in Tourism (with Event Management) this year,” he added.
Graduates of the three year tourism course, many of whom will progress to do an honours degree, will be ideally placed to work in this growing sector in such areas as adventure tourism, events management, eco tourism, the heritage sector and in a range of national and regional development agencies.
Interest in computing courses at the Institute has also surpassed expectations this year and this rise also reflects the employment opportunities in a flourishing sector. Applications for Web Development rose by 67 per cent at a time when companies big and small, are realizing how important it is to have a user-friendly and attractive website in order to fully exploit marketing opportunities.
“Computer games are now a billion dollar global industry and our BSc Computing in Games Development, while more specialised than the other computing courses, has seen a big rise in applications this year,” said Dr McCormack. “We also expect that our students’ high profile win in the Microsoft Imagine Cup will further increase popularity of our computing courses next year also.”
Points for Software Development and Systems & Networking are also up considerably at the Institute.
There was a predictable fall in applications for courses related to the construction industry and to the financial sector with civil engineering and quantity surveying down by 21 and 18 per cent respectively. A similar drop was recorded for the financial services course. However, mechanical and electronic engineering experienced an increase in applications and the entry points have risen for the mechanical engineering course.
Courses in science continue to be popular at the Institute; “Our School of Science is the largest in the Institute of Technology Sector outside of Dublin and there continues to be a high demand for many of our science courses, from archaeology to forensic science, environmental science and safety & health. We are being recognised across second level schools as a leader in science education and the national profile of our research and innovation in, for example archaeology and applied science, has heightened the awareness of our standing in science.”
The Recreation and Leisure course was established in response to the rapidly expanding sport and leisure sector and points for this course have jumped by 25 this year. As well as developing their coaching/teaching skills students on this course will learn about management, marketing, computer applications and finance. Sligo is recognised as one of the best locations in the country for learning about outdoor pursuits and leisure activities.
Students will also take up three new courses which were introduced at the Institute this year in Advanced Wood and Sustainable Building Technology, Advanced Carpentry and Joinery and Engineering in Electrical Energy Systems. “While open to all qualified applicants, these courses were developed to meet the needs, in particular, of people who were working in the craft industries and who were unable to complete their education because of the downturn in the construction industry,” Dr McCormack concluded.
For more information on courses available at IT Sligo click here or call 071 91 55222.