Colleges must constantly adapt, says WIT director

COLLEGES such as Waterford Institute of Technology must constantly adapt and change their programmes to meet the skills needs of industry and their student cohort, WIT director, Prof Kieran R Byrne, said yesterday.

As he congratulated the first group of 2,770 graduates being conferred with academic awards this week, he said WIT’s role, and the strong contribution it makes to communities regionally, nationally and internationally, are clearly reflected in the broad spectrum of this year’s conferring programme.

“The programmes at the Institute continue to develop. WIT’s portfolio continues to attract our school leavers. We are much aided in that regard by the help of career guidance counsellors, principals and assistant principals.

“Their assistance and advice to us in developing new options are helpful and much appreciated. The institute now offers 81 programmes.

“This year the introduction of a degree in architecture is much appreciated by the Construction Federation Industry of Ireland.

“This is a unique programme which combines with and builds on the degree in architecture and built environment education,” continued Prof Byrne.

“For the first time the institute programmes are semesterised and modularised. For the future this will provide students with a greater degree of flexibility allowing them a move away from the regimental curriculum of old.

“This new approach is being anticipated enthusiastically by all concerned. For too long the traditional curriculum failed to fuse and to blend in creative ways.

“The new approach will go some way to resolving that issue.”

The institute’s learning environment continues to be well supplemented by new buildings.

The Health Sciences building, which has just been completed, was brought in on time and on budget at €29 million.

“The completion of the Research and Innovation Centre with the PRTLI - the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions - marks the opening of our extending facilities at the West Campus,” said Prof Byrne.

“Over the recent period, the community at the institute has been selfless in its commitment to change and innovation.

“The spirit to meet the challenge of leadership and to fulfil the destiny of the institute burns fervently,” he said.

The countries represented by 75 overseas graduates at the conferrals are Belgium, Canada, China, Congo, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Britain, India, Kenya, Latvia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Ukraine and the United States.