Workday will invest €450,000 and offer its expertise to the project at TU Dublin that aims to get young people into tech careers.
TU Dublin is partnering with software company Workday to deliver skills workshops and programmes to foster the next generation of tech talent.
The three-year partnership will target traditionally underrepresented groups in higher education and the tech sector. Projects will range from primary school to third-level institutions in a bid to get young people interested in a career in technology.
As part of the initiative, children in DEIS primary schools will have the opportunity to participate in coding and tech skills workshops.
There will also be junior cycle workshops and activities aimed at demystifying third-level education and showing potential career paths to those in the early stages of secondary school. A transition-year programme will then see participating students gain practical tech career experience in both the workplace and at the TU Dublin campus.
At the third-level stage, accredited programmes focusing on people and leadership skills, including mindset and resilience abilities, will be delivered. There will also be collaboration on research, as well as the development of topical engineering and technology courses with a focus on machine learning, security and cloud computing.
Workday has initially committed to invest around €450,000 in the partnership.
The financial management and human capital management software company, which employs more than 1,500 staff at its Dublin office in Smithfield, will also provide volunteer support and expertise as part of its role in the partnership.
“Together with TU Dublin, we hope to foster the next generation of innovators,” said Caroline O’Reilly, general manager of Workday analytics at Workday.
“This partnership will help develop even more relevant engineering and technology courses, helping develop the next generation of multi-talented engineers. By offering relevant, focused activities for primary, secondary and third-level students, we can jointly provide early talent with both the technical and people skills required to pursue a rewarding career in technology.”
Thomas Stone, VP for partnerships at TU Dublin, added that the “thoughtful and innovative” initiative would “excite and encourage younger people to consider a career in technology.”
TU development
TU Dublin was formed following the merging of three institutes of technology in the city. Since its formation, there have been several other technological universities created across the country as smaller ITs combined to form larger multi-campus institutions.
Today (14 February), Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris, TD, announced the expansion of the newly created Atlantic Technological University through the purchase of a 10-acre site in Galway.
It was announced last year that the new university would open its doors in April 2022.
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