Siobhain O’Connor, Talent Manager at Datapac, recaps the visit of IT Carlow students to Datapac and outlines how Datapac’s graduate placement programme helps support local education and employment while preparing the company for the future.
Datapac strongly believes in the need for collaboration between the education and technology sectors in an effort to close the IT skills gap which exists in Ireland today. Through numerous partnerships with leading education institutions, including Waterford IT, IT Carlow, TU Dublin, University of Maynooth and University of Limerick, we are keen to support initiatives which aim to close this gap.
This includes Datapac’s own work placement programme, available to both graduates and undergraduate students. Our programme offers high quality work placement opportunities at one of Ireland’s leading technology solutions and services providers. Since formally launching our graduate placement programme, more than 200 graduates have joined our ICT professional and business development tracks.
IT Carlow on-site visit
To help third-level students with advice and support in making career decisions, and to provide an overview of what Datapac’s graduate programme can offer, we invited Information Technology Management final year students from IT Carlow along to our premises in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. Our team welcomed a number of students to the Datapac workplace, holding a detailed information session in which our team members shared their insights on how to get started in IT and what opportunities await those who pursue a career in the field.
The visit allowed prospective applicants to our graduate placement programme to experience daily life in Datapac, learn more about our values and history, ask questions about the programme and speak with past graduates about their career journeys to date.
The final year of a BSc course is a very busy and pressurised time and on top of this students are expected to make numerous important and career altering decisions. Ultimately, we wanted to offer students a helping hand with the next step in their progression and career decision making process. By having the opportunity to hear from former graduates in their position only a few years previous, the students could get helpful tips, a realistic job preview and first-hand insights into long term career opportunities. Those who have availed of our programme have gone on to have enriching careers both in Datapac and elsewhere.
Bringing the latest thinking to Datapac
Through our graduate programme, we are keen to strengthen our relationships with nearby local third level institutions as well as creating local employment opportunities for graduates. Additionally, we offer the programme to enrich our talent pool with highly motivated, enthusiastic and well educated people.
The 12 month programme offers graduates the opportunity to work within a team of experienced IT professionals and with the latest technologies and workplace tools. The programme is also flexible to their preferences, enabling them to experience multiple areas of the business to learn where their strengths and passions lie, helping them to make more informed career or further study choices.
Meanwhile, Datapac also benefits with the opportunity to grow our team with future talent from within. People are at the core of our values and what we do, and having access to people passionate about technology and with a thirst for knowledge is a huge asset. Graduates bring with them the latest thinking, knowledge and skills from their course, and we encourage the development of an environment where everyone – be it new graduates or industry veterans – can learn from and inspire one another.
For more details on Datapac’s graduate placement programme, please click here
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"At Barretstown, we rebuild the lives of children, and their families, affected by childhood cancer and other serious illnesses. We serve 5,000 campers a year and have 1200 volunteers each year. Communication is crucially important and Datapac has helped us to streamline, improve and ensure efficiency." -
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"For many years Datapac has been our sole supplier for the maintenance of Personal Computers and Peripherals in Ireland. Through their Service Centres in Wexford and Dublin, Datapac provides excellent support to our businesses throughout the country and consistently meets the SLA targets which we have set. The skill, expertise and experience of their engineers and other technical support personnel are of the highest standard." -
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