Exclusive Interview: National College of Ireland Places Students To Best Companies
Study in Ireland: Shiksha spoke with Robert Ward, Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment about how it is for Indian students to study at National College of Ireland.
Ireland is gaining popularity as a study-abroad destination among Indian students. Shiksha spoke with Robert Ward, Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment to understand how it is going to be for an Indian student to study at the National College of Ireland. Read the excerpts of the interview:
Q: What makes your university attractive to international students, especially for Indian students?
A: The National College of Ireland has been very popular for Indian students in the last couple of years for a few reasons, firstly, the programs we offer are very much in demand, we specialize particularly in computing programs and master and undergraduate programs in Cloud Computing, Data Analytics, and Cyber Security. These programs have been hugely popular. We are also offering courses in Business, Management in International Business, Finance Accountancy and Marketing. These programs are very popular with Indian students.
Also, in terms of employability, we have an excellent employability rate. NCI is based in Dublin, the capital city of Ireland and right in what we call a Silicone Docks area of Dublin. At 10 minutes from our institute, we have companies like Salesforce, Meta and Google, all have their international headquarters very close to the campus and we have very close relationships with these companies.
We have a good history of dealing with international students and students from India. We have very active programs for helping the students in all aspects. From career development to all the different aspects, the best services are in place, so the students have an excellent experience at the college and that’s one of the reasons why it is very popular.
Q: What are the unique academic courses and research opportunities at your institutes?
A: The programs we offer are very relevant to the workplace, and we are always kind of working with the industries to develop new programs. We have programs in the technical areas. We are also looking to create a program in data for business decision-makers, so that's a data program but more of the business program, let's say for non-technical graduates who will be working with data analysts and business analysts. We would have various partnerships and we would have the possibility of the PhD programs on further developments, primarily in the undergraduate and top masters programs across business computing psychology and education.
Q: What are the scholarship and funding opportunities for international students?
A: For international students, we have scholarships based on students' GPA, they can apply for various scholarships during the application process and they are available across all our programs. There are various scholarships which are available for Indian students.
Q: What about minimum language requirements, is there any?
A: We have an English Language requirement for study, the pretty standard English language requirement that one would expect from undergraduate and graduate for programs. Different courses may have their own requirements, but the students should have the minimum level of English language skills to complete their course.
Q: How does your institute support international students through orientation, and cultural integration and how does it help them overcome their language and academic barriers?
A: It is important that there must be support, and we have lots of international students so we have sort of perfected that space. We start support from the time when students start to inquire about the course in India, we have a dedicated experienced team to give students the right advice on the program and what's right for them. We provide an orientation program before they leave for our institute, these are fully online programs where we take them through different aspects of studying in Ireland, accommodation, academic support, and other aspects. So we cover even before they come to the college and once they come we have an extensive welcome program, so again we cover all the key aspects, we show them around the college and all the various aspects, we have a dedicated team to support the students. We understand that coming to study abroad can be overwhelming to students, so we support them in every aspect. National College of Ireland is also a relatively smaller institute, so most students get to know other people, we have lots of clubs and societies. We celebrate all the festivals, we take students on trips to different part of the cities so that they can really be involved in college life and mix with other students. All this can help them to have really fulfilling experience.
Q: What about internship opportunities and work while they study at the National College of Ireland?
A: The National College of Ireland has a strong employability rate. We have award-winning career services. We work with the students right from the start. All our undergraduate programs for example feature a work placement element in them. In our IT program at the undergraduate level, we have a full semester of students working and placed in an IT company. In a business program, there is an option of work placement within these undergraduate programs and then in our Masters program, we have employers coming into the campus to meet the students, we have workshops to help them enhance their employability while they are still studying at our institute. So, we work with the students from day one to assist them to get jobs.
Q: After completing their courses what kind of placements do they get?
A: Once they complete their programs whether the undergraduate or postgraduate level, the career team will assist them and we have lots of companies which are looking for talents in those different areas so we have those connections. Then there are international financial services centres in Dublin, lots of international banks and finance companies and top IT companies come to us who are looking for tech talents.
Q: Are there any exchange programs or dual programs or a partnership with other institutes which can help international students?
A: Primarily, we don't have partnerships with Indian institutes. We have partnerships in some countries with linked programs and then we are also part of the Erasmus Charter which gives students the opportunity to study in other parts of Europe as well.
Q: How do you ensure that international students are included and valued and do not feel left out in their campus life while they are studying at your institute?
A: I think that's very important. We have a campus community, student union, lots of different clubs and societies, and sporting areas so that the students can be involved. We organize many events, also we let the new students meet with other students to make friends.
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