AIT Awarded €6 Million to Provide Flexible Upskilling Opportunities

Posted on June 22, 2020 Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) has been awarded €6 million in Springboard+ and HCI funding to deliver a wide range of free or partially funded upskilling opportunities to learners across the Midlands Region.

More than 900 places will be available to prospective learners looking to upskill, change career or return to employment, with courses distributed across AIT’s four facilities: Engineering and Informatics, Science and Health, Business and Hospitality and Continuing, Professional, Online and Distance Learning.

Of the funding, €4 million has been allocated for this year, with a further €1.1 million designated for 2021 and 2022, respectively.

According to AIT President, Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin, this “significant amount” further demonstrates “AIT’s relevance to the upskilling requirements of the Midlands Region” and its role in “driving Ireland’s knowledge economy forward’.

The places are available across all levels of the national framework of qualifications, ranging from certificates (level 6), higher diplomas (level 8) and postgraduate diplomas (level 9) to graduate conversion diplomas (level 9) and master’s degrees (level 9).

The funding will facilitate the delivery of 30 Springboard+ and seven HCI programmes; the HCI funding, which is spread across three years, is specifically for graduates looking to upskill in a new area of work through a postgraduate diploma.

AIT’s undergraduate and postgraduate course offering is developed in consultation with regional and national stakeholders. This is facilitated through the Midlands Industry and AIT Academic Collaboration Group and ensures that AIT is producing a talent pipeline of graduates equipped with the requisite skills and competencies to meet the growing needs of industry.

“Given the changing nature of learning and the shift towards online learning, our Springboard+ and HCI programmes will be delivered in a flexible/online and blended format,” said Dr Michael Tobin, Dean of the Faculty of Continuing, Professional, Online and Distance Learning at AIT. “We are continuing to move forward with our online/blended model of learning and, in doing so, will employ many new technological innovations this September.”

He continued: “Our objective is to continually improve our delivery channels, enabling a greater number of learners to access relevant and timely education while also enjoying the student experience - albeit remotely.”

Further details about AIT’s available Springboard+ programmes are also be available at the AIT Virtual Education Expo stall. For more information, visit: www.aitflexiblelearning.ie/www.ait.ie or www.virtualeducationexpo.ie.

Springboard+ is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Social Fund as part of the ESF programme for employability, inclusion and learning 2014-2020.

List of programmes that have received free or part funded places at Athlone Institute of Technology. Programmes will commence in September 2020 or January 2021.

Springboard + Programmes	NFQ Level	Places Recommended
An Introduction to Augmented & Virtual Reality	Level 6	20
An Introduction to Data Analysis and Visualisation	Level 6	30
Certificate in Culinary Skills	Level 6	32
Certificate in Food and Beverage	Level 6	16
Certificate in Financial Accounting and Payroll	Level 6	30
Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management	Level 6	50
Certificate in Operations, Quality and Lean Management	Level 6	80
Certificate in Procurement	Level 6	40
Certificate in Supervisory Management and Team Leadership	Level 6	50
HDip in BIM for Civil Engineering and Construction	Level 8	20
Higher Diploma in Data Analytics	Level 8	40
Higher Diploma in Leadership	Level 8	40
Higher Diploma in Science in Agile Software Design	Level 8	16
Higher Diploma in Science in Agile Software Design Part-time	Level 8	16
MSc in Software Design with Artificial Intelligence	Level 9	20
MSc in Software Design with Cloud Native Computing	Level 9	20
MSc in Software Design with Cybersecurity	Level 9	20
Network Infrastructure with Security	Level 6	20
Postgraduate Certificate in Blockchain Security	Level 9	20
Postgraduate Certificate in Cloud Native Computing	Level 9	20
Postgraduate Certificate in Software Design	Level 9	50
Postgraduate Certificate in Software Design with Artificial Intelligence	Level 9	30
Postgraduate Certificate in Software Design with Cybersecurity	Level 9	20
Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Polymer Materials	Level 9	16
Postgraduate Diploma in Cloud Native Computing	Level 9	20
Postgraduate Diploma in Executive Management	Level 9	40
Postgraduate Diploma in Software Design with Artificial Intelligence	Level 9	20
Postgraduate Diploma in Software Design with Cybersecurity	Level 9	20
Special Purpose Award in Construction Management	Level 8	20
Special Purpose Award in Robotics and Automation	Level 6	16
Human Capital Initiative
Higher Diploma in Business in Information Technology	Level 8	TBD
Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering Management	Level 9	TBD
Post Graduate Diploma in Data Analytics	Level 9	TBD
Post Graduate Diploma in Biopharmaceutical and Med Device Systems (Level 9)	Level 9	TBD
Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Management	Level 9	TBD
Postgraduate Diploma in Packaging, Innovation and Product Design	Level 9	TBD
Postgraduate Diploma in Quality Management and Validation (Level 9)	Level 9	TBD