IT Sligo Lead the Way With Bespoke Programme Business Development

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IT Sligo has announced the appointment of a Business Development and Account Coordinator as part of its plan to significantly increase the range of higher education opportunities for online learners.

Patrick Sweeney took up the position within the Centre for Online Learning (COL) recently and will have responsibility for supporting developments within the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction.

Over the last nine years, the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction has evolved from having one online programme to over 30, with online student numbers increasing fourfold over the last five years.

Since 2014 there has been considerable success in formal collaborations with national bodies, initially with the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport and the Local Authority Services National Training Group (LASNTG) and subsequently with Ervia / Irish Water, the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland (SCSI) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

These partnerships were made possible given the depth of experience of IT Sligo’s academic staff and its history in the online learning area for many years with this appointment seeking to build on that success.

On his appointment Patrick comments;

“I am delighted to join the team at the Centre for Online Learning at IT Sligo with its 17 years of experience in online teaching. Working closely with the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction with Ireland’s largest suite of online construction related courses, I am looking forward to cultivating the strong relationships we already have with industry and their representative bodies. It is an exciting time in terms of the Institutes own development but also a time of immense change in industry and the economy in general. With IT Sligo’s experience in online learning and a diverse suite of over 140 online courses, we are well placed to support learners in navigating and leading this change”.

Vice-President at the Centre for Online Learning Jacqueline McCormack commenting on Patrick’s appointment stated, “the investment in this appointment is an indication of the institute’s commitment to supporting the further development of flexible and accessible higher education and professional development opportunities which are specifically tailored to meet the needs of the civil engineering and construction sector.

Trevor McSharry, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction added, “we are looking forward to working with Patrick, who has extensive business development experience, so that we can continue to make a significant contribution to our industry through collaboration and development of unique bespoke educational programmes on a more sustainable and structured basis.”

A Sligo native, Patrick has held senior management roles in the west and north-west with national financial institutions managing relationships with corporate, commercial and SME customers across property, construction, retail, hospitality and agriculture sectors. He holds a B. Comm (Hons) and a postgraduate Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from NUIG and a Professional Diploma in Financial Advice from UCD.