Exciting times for MTU’s historic first intake of first-year students
Careers, creativity, innovation: A view of the campus at CIT, which along with IT Tralee is now part of MTU. More than 500 start-ups have come out of MTU in recent years. Students attend courses that have deep connections with industry and a keen focus on promoting the employability of students.
The MTU, which was established earlier this year, is set to welcome its first intake of first year students since the amalgamation of Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and IT Tralee.
Speaking ahead of this historic moment for the MTU, the university’s first president, Professor Maggie Cusack, said exciting times lie ahead for the institute, its students and staff.
“It’s exciting that, come September, we will see the first intake of students starting with us as MTU students,” said Professor Cusack.
“Already we have some graduating as MTU students but this will be the first intake of students joining us as MTU students and going the whole way through. It’s a very exciting time,” she added.
Adding to the sense of excitement, Professor Cusack explained, is the possibility of a return to campus for students and staff.
“I think that’s something we’re all very much looking forward to,” she said. “Obviously, anything done in that regard will be done adhering to public health guidelines.
“We will be doing everything to make sure that students have the opportunity to study on campus to the maximum extent possible,” she added.
“Obviously, we’re mindful of all the challenges that Covid can still throw at us but, nonetheless, that’s what we’re striving towards and we’re very much looking forward to that.”
Professor Cusack stated that any online learning would be part of a blended model that seeks to have students on campus as much as possible.
“There are lots of aspects of online learning that students consider to be advantageous and actually prefer,” she said.
“So it’s about making sure we have the best on-campus, face-to-face experience and combine that where necessary with the online platform so our students can really excel in this environment.”
The MTU has taken the opportunity ahead of its first full academic year to add new courses to its portfolio in recent months, taking the number of courses on offer to more than 140 across a wide, diverse range of disciplines.
“For a Technological University, we are probably quite unusual in offering such a wide breadth of subject areas which I think is a real strength,” said Professor Cusack.
The MTU offers a long, wide-ranging ladder of opportunity, making it a unique choice for students, explained its new president.
“I think it’s a combination of aspects that actually makes MTU unique,” she said.
“First of all, we have a really strong commitment to our learners, really ensuring that our students gain employment experience and are work-ready once they graduate.
“I think that’s a really important trademark of the MTU,” she added.
“We have a very long ladder of opportunity from apprenticeships all the way up to PhDs and everything in between. There’s a huge breadth of choice in terms of both subject choice and means of delivery.
“Genuinely, as a university, it’s important to cater for whatever background students come from and where they want to go. I think having that full range of opportunities from craft apprenticeships all the way up to research-intensive PhDs is really important.”
MTU is one of the largest providers of apprenticeship training and education in the state and more recently, has developed degree-level apprenticeships in disciplines that include engineering, culinary arts, biopharma, logistics and software.
“It’s important to ensure we’re supporting students with that wide range of opportunities so that they can fulfill their potential in life,” said Professor Cusack.
The MTU president also highlighted the importance of education not being a “one-size-fits-all approach”.
She explained some students may enter the workplace after completing an apprenticeship or undergraduate degree, while others go onto Masters level, and that some may even return to complete their PhD.
“It’s something we’re really proud of, that this ladder of opportunity is there for everyone,” she said.
“People can join at different rungs of the ladder, step off and step back on and that’s a real strength of the MTU in my mind.”
Another strength of the MTU, according to Professor Cusack, is its focus on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
“MTU is a university for students from all backgrounds and all walks of life,” she said.
“We actively promote EDI across all activities, including student activities, staff and community engagement.”
Professor Cusack highlighted the likes of the Exxcel Programme, which is dedicated to supporting female founders with STEM sector start-up ideas.
She also highlighted how MTU is a part of the iWish initiative which aims to promote women in STEM and that the university also boasts an EDI awareness programme.
“I am absolutely convinced that a place of work or a place of study that genuinely embraces diversity is a much better place to work or study,” she said.
Professor Cusack also highlighted the MTU’s relationships with a wide range of companies from start-ups to small and medium-sized enterprises, and large multinationals, and how this creates even more opportunity for students.
“They all have work placements so they have that work experience and the courses that we teach have all been informed by interactions with companies so it’s enabling our students to be work-ready,” she explained.
“To really have an understanding of what the skills needs and the gaps are, and to make sure we’re working closely with companies, to ensure we provide that and we stay ahead of the curve is so important.
The MTU president also emphasised the entrepreneurial support that students receive at the university.
“I think that’s a really key component of how unique MTU is,” she said. “More than 500 start-ups have come out of MTU over the last number of years.”
Professor Cusack highlighted the Rubicon Centre, which is based on MTU’s Cork campus, and the Tom Crean Centre in Kerry, as key enablers for this level of start-up support.
“There are also a huge number of initiatives aimed at supporting students in this regard, including the innovation challenge where real companies come forward with real problems and present them to the MTU,” she said.
“Then groups of multidisciplinary students, such as those from Business, Engineering and more, come together and work on the problem to go back to the companies with solutions.
“I’ve seen some of those in action and they’re absolutely outstanding - it’s a fantastic environment,” she added.
The very creation of the MTU can only have a positive impact on the employability of its students, Professor Cusack explained.
“Employability is something that CIT and IT Tralee have done really well in and we’re really proud of that,” she said.
“It can only go in the right direction now as a result of the creation of the MTU.
“Our goal is to create graduates who can make a difference, whether that’s as employees, entrepreneurs, professional artists or leaders in society,” she added.
“We’re helping our students and supporting them on all of those trajectories, and we do well on each of those trajectories.” When asked where she hopes to see the MTU in 10 years time, Professor Cusack highlighted the importance of continuing to create graduates who are work-ready and who can make a difference.
“I’d love in 10 years, for MTU to be really well known as an outstanding technological university that is renowned internationally as a university that really cares about the student experience and produces work-ready graduates with a wide range of opportunities.”
Visit HERE for information on courses available at MTU.
