Datapac’s€1.5m investmentin workplacement
ENNISCORTHY based tech solutions giant Datapac is calling for a greater collaboration between the Irish education sector and the technology industry to help close the growing IT skills gap. The call comes just as Datapac announced that 150 students have now participated in its work placement programme since its launch in 2004, with a total of €1.5million invested in the programme to date.
During this time, Datapac has also fostered strong links with third level institutions around the country. The programme is open to both graduate and undergraduate students and offers continuous on-the-job development as well as the opportunity to work with the latest technologies and applications.
The 150th student to be recruited as part of the programme is Eric Maloney who is studying for a BSc in Information Technology Management at IT Carlow.
‘ The practical work experience that I have received at Datapac has been really invaluable and rewarding,’ he said. ‘It’s given me a much deeper understanding of the industry and a much clearer vision of the career I want to pursue.’
Launching the work placement programme into secondary schools is the next step in Datapac’s strategic approach and it will initially be rolled out to school’s in the Enniscorthy area. Students will gain practical, hands-on experience of both the technical and business aspects of the industry and mentors will be assigned to every student and will visit transition year classes.
‘We’re very excited to extend this programme to transition year students as we look to make an impact at second level too,’ said General Manager Karen O’Connor. ‘Our aim is to provide students with a positive experience and hopefully inspire them to consider STEM subjects for the Leaving Cert, as well as further studies and potentially a career in this sector.’