A Newry IT student has voiced his support for the Career Academies initiative following a fourweek placement with one of Northern Ireland’s leading telecommunications companies, eircom.
Organised through Career Academies UK, the aim of the programme is to bridge the gap between education and employment by giving students access to real experiences of the world of work.
The charity-based company works with local schools, colleges and employers to help raise the aspirations of 16 to 19-year-olds.
Students that benefit from Career Academies are often from families with little experience of higher education, and their involvement with the programme gives them the confidence and opportunity to engage with employers.
Almost 4,000 students have graduated from the programme since its beginning in 2002, and over 85% of the students progress to university or directly into employment.
Head of Unified Communications and Contact Centre Services at eircom, Gary O’Brien, said: “We understand the importance of the youth of today to the continued success of the business in the future.
“By nurturing the raw talent of those students who have had no prior experience of the world of work, we can provide them with the toolset to help make a more informed decision when deciding upon the direction they want to go in their future career.”
Eircom recently invited IT student Connor Fitzpatrick, from Southern Regional College, Newry, to join the team for a placement as part of the student internship programme.
This involved a fourweek paid work placement, with the aim of providing valuable hands-on experience within a real operating environment, while aiming to use the skills and knowledge already learned in school and college.
Midway through a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Computing, Connor was keen for the opportunity to explore the different avenues of IT, whilst gaining confidence and experience in a professional working environment.
Connor said: “It was great to get some real world experience of what is involved in delivering and supporting IP Telephony and other Unified Communications services to large scale customers who depend upon it as a business critical application.
It has helped me to understand where my skills could be used once I complete my studies.”