Hear what some of our industry connections have to say.
Adam O'Reilly
Tina Coy
Stephen Ryan
Pádraig O'Riordan
Gerry Murphy
Industry Connect
The college strives to create a learning environment that facilitates all learners in reaching their full potential to progress to higher education or to achieve success in progressing to achieving employment in their chosen areas.
Morrison’s Island Campus has strong industry links and initiatives and works to continuously build on these initiatives:
- To facilitate the smooth transition of our learners into employment.
- To continuously improve our links with industry and the workplace and to increase awareness of each other’s needs.
- To ensure that our courses continue to be industry fit.
Course Modules/Components
The college continuously liaises with industry and potential employers to keep our courses up to date and ensure that our courses are ‘fit for purpose’. Modules/components are added or removed as necessary to meet these requirements of industry and the workplace.
Our courses are accredited by examining bodies such as QQI, ITEC, CIDESCO, Institute of Accounting Technicians, Microsoft (MTA certification), ECDL. This accreditation gives students the best start they could have in a competitive environment.
Practical Application Learning
Many courses include additional features, to ensure that on completion of the course, students will be best placed for jobs in their areas of study. These features include e.g. software packages such as Socrates for the Medical Dental Reception administration course, and many others.
Additional training is provided in some courses such as Occupational First Aid or Manual Handling.
Work Experience/Work Placement
The majority of courses in the college include work experience. Some courses have a requirement of 2 – 4 weeks work experience while for other courses work experience takes the format of ‘one day a week’ work.
Work Experience is a crucial part of all courses and is extremely beneficial in terms of expanding the student’s knowledge and skills and also their personal development.
Industry Quality Review
As part of our Industry Engagement, we review a selection of courses each year with industry representatives. Our courses are reviewed with industry representatives, to ensure that our courses are “industry fit”. We continue to research and design new courses, in line with industry needs. As a college, we keep our courses up to date with the latest technology. This ensures that upon completion of their course, students will be best placed with up-to-date knowledge and skills.
Site Visits
Site visits are organised for a range of companies in various courses. This is very important as it helps students apply their understanding and knowledge learnt to date in the classroom and see this applied in the workplace. Companies are very supportive in facilitating these visits.
Professional Guest Lecturers
During the academic year, a number of invited guest speakers give presentations to students on different topics, relevant to specific modules/components that they are studying for their course. These presentations/talks provides a practical application to the theoretical aspects covered in class time.
Start Your Own Business Workshop
Many of our courses allow students to set up their own business sometime in the future. Every year in February, an event is held in the college to provide information on “Start Your own Business “. This event includes information sessions by financial institutions and also a number of speakers give a presentation on their own experiences and challenges of setting up their own business.
Career Guidance
Guidance is provided on searching for jobs in a chosen area and potential types of work available in your area.
Career Guidance Counsellors are available to give guidance to all students on career options available to them. This is supported by our jobs advice hub.
Career Placement Preparation/Job advice hub
The college has staff dedicated to providing Interview Skills preparation and training, also giving essential support, encouragement and advice to students when they are job searching.
Information sessions are given on Interview Skills preparation and training. Practice Interviews are facilitated. Information and support is given for CV preparation. Personal/professional presentation information is also provided. The goal here is to support the student’s development as they plan and prepare for the workplace.
Recruitment Registration day
Every March, an extensive range of recruitment agencies are invited to participate in our Recruitment Registration Day. All students who attend, meet on an individual basis, a recruitment specialist who discusses career opportunities with them and gathers CVs for their files. Students are encouraged to follow up on the initial contact and this may well lead to various employment opportunities.
Leading Employers
During the last number of years, a number of companies requested to come onsite to recruit students for jobs following completion of their course – part time and full time job vacancies. The college facilitates the advertisement of these vacancies and also provides interview facilities for these companies. This is very beneficial to students.
Jobs Advice Hub
A support service is provided to help students in their job search. This includes information on where and how to apply for jobs, CV and cover letters, Interview preparation/tips etc. Book an appointment here.
Jobs Register
Potential employers contact the college on a regular basis to advertise job vacancies. These job vacancies are advertised on the ‘job vacancies notice boards’ in the college. Past students who are on the Job Vacancies information Register are also sent details of these vacancies.
All students are given information on how to register for this facility before they complete their course. Register for the jobs register (available at the end of April – all students will be notified) and login to view advertised jobs.
Morrison's Island Campus LinkedIn Alumni Group
LinkedIn is a valuable resource for anyone seeking work. Connect with people in industry, get notifications on jobs that are suited to you, be endorsed for skills that you have, and much more. Once you are a member, join with industry professionals in our Alumni & Business Community LinkedIn Group for internship and recruitment purposes and networking. Information about this linkedin group is given to all students before they complete their course.
Enterprise Day
On our annual Enterprise Day Event we host a wide variety of engaging speakers who have started their own business and give a presentation to our students where they pass on their knowledge and experience and speak about the ups and downs of starting and running your own business.
The students also get the chance to liaise with the local enterprise office to find out about available funding and costs involved in setting up their own business.
Digital Badges
The College is delighted to encourage students who have shown accomplishments, qualities, achievements or interests during their time with us. We reward this by providing the student with the Cork College of FET – Morrison’s Island Campus Digital Badge which they can display on their C.V or share online on a range of platforms including virtual learning environments, blogs, E-portfolios and social media sites such as Linkedin.