Image by digitalismo via Flickr

Across the country thousands of student’s who’ve just accepted their place on a college or university course are eagerly awaiting the start of the new academic year. It herald the beginning of a brand new chapter in their lives as they enter third level education.

While this is a very exciting milestone, it can also be a daunting one. In the early days of college it can be difficult to find your feet, to get your bearings on- and off- campus, get your head around a completely new way of learning and coping with non-academic changes like living away from home and fending for yourself — which can be an adventure in itself.

Luckily, colleges and universities are well aware of the challenges faced by new students. Third level learning institutions want students to feel at home as quickly as possible, and often go out of their way to show newcomers the ropes and help them to settle into college life. Most places will issue every new student with a welcome pack before they arrive on campus, full of all the information they’ll need for their first few weeks of term: things like a guide to registration, important dates on the academic calendar, relevant contact details, maps of the campus, answers to the most frequently asked student questions and much more besides. So before term even starts students have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their new environment.

The college’s website is another great place to look for specific information and general guidance on both what to expect from college life. They also tend to provide some information on living in the locality, and can be a handy starting point for students researching the place they’ll soon be moving to. Most towns and cities around the country also have websites full of information that’s relevant to people moving into the area, and doing a bit of online research before arrival will help students settle in to their new environment that much faster.

Once term starts there’s usually an official orientation programme that new students can attend. These programmes are designed to introduce a way of learning that’s very different from the school system students are used to, explain any new terminology, show them where all the relevant buildings are on campus, outline what’s expected of them through the coming academic year and provide a relatively comprehensive overview of academic life at the college. They also often include workshops to help students brush up on essential skills like essay writing, time management, student finance and other useful topics.

While getting to grips with the academic side of college is obviously very important, a big part of the transition to third level education is the social element of mixing with a large group of peers who are all in the same boat. That can be just as daunting as the new academic environment, if not moreso. During the first few weeks of term the Students’ Union invariably hosts a number of social events to help break the ice and encourage new students to mingle, interact and make some new friends with whom to share the adventure. Many colleges also hold a "Freshers Fair", where students can sample the wide variety of extracurricular activities available on campus, and sign up for a mind boggling array of clubs, societies and events that will help them to connect with like minded people amidst the throng of bewildered new faces.

Making the transition to third level education is challenging, there’s no doubt, but it can also be incredibly rewarding, and there’s plenty of help on-hand to help new students make the most of it.

Institutions have been inundated with requests for courses, receiving on average around twice as many applications as there are places available. The demand, thought to be driven by a lack of alternative options in today’s workplace, has been described as unprecedented.

Demand in the PLC sector is also being boosted by an influx of disappointed third-level applicants who didn’t receive an offer of a college place through the the over-subscribed CAO system this year, which also fielded a record number of applications.

In all there were 78,982 applications to the CAO this year, an increase of 7.5% on 2008, and as of last week a total of 44,481 places had been accepted. Further education colleges report that they have processed 60,000 applications for the 31,688 PLC places they have available with a number of colleges reporting a significant rise in the number of applications from mature students, echoing the increasing number of job losses.

Image by Stephen Downes via Flickr

"Lifelong learning" has become something of a buzzword in recent years.

According to the politicians it’s one of the "key drivers" for "upskilling the workforce" so they can participate in the new "knowledge economy". Buzz, buzz, and more buzz.…

But behind the rhetoric and weasel words of modern political dialogue there’s a serious message trying to break through. It’s simply this: you’re never too old to learn, and learning can and will enhance your life in all sorts of ways… perhaps not just in the areas you expect.

For some adults the decision to return to learning isn’t an easy one to make. Having been compelled to learn through the formal education system, they decide that learning perhaps isn’t for them. Children have a natural curiosity to explore and absorb the world around them — a catalyst for learning that seems absent in many adults, or if not absent then subconsciously subdued. Returning to education years, perhaps decades after leaving the formal education system can feel awkward, unnatural… perhaps even a little frightening. But legions of adult learners attest to the fact that it’s well worth stepping briefly outside your comfort zone to experience the benefits learning can bring.

The really crucial distinction between learning as an adult and learning in school is that as an adult nobody’s forcing you to sit down and listen to something you have little interest in. You’re there because you want to learn, not because somebody else dictates that you have to — and believe it or not that makes all the difference in the world.

AONTAS, the National Adult Learning Organisation, believes there are plenty of reasons why Adult Education is vital to the country, the community, families and individuals. They maintain that people who have an opportunity to continually learn and develop their skills and capacities:

• Make our economy grow and develop
• Ensure that their children develop a love of learning and take full advantage of education
• Actively participate in their own communities and civil society
• Support and respect people with different cultural beliefs and abilities
• Respect and protect the environment for future generations
• Nurture creativity and imagination
• Live healthy and fulfilled lives

There’s another reason that they don’t list, but that’s crucially important: learning new things is fun, whatever your age.

Of course the time on your course is also time dedicating solely to you and your personal development. It’s a slice of that much vaunted "me time" that’s so important to our personal well being, but that we so often neglected for the sake of family, career, the house and myriad other distractions that life throws our way.

Learning a new skill is a great way to boost your career prospects, bolster your self-esteem and self-confidence, improve your knowledge, try your hand at something you’ve always fancied and it can even enhance your social life. You’ll meet new people who by definition are interested the same things you are (well, they’re on the same course aren’t they?). That gives you instant common ground, and removes that awkward ice-breaker moment that usually confronts us when we meet someone new.

What can you study?

The short answer is practically anything. Whatever you want to learn there’s almost certain to be a course — or a series of courses — out there to get you from where you are now, to where you want to be. From basic adult literacy courses right up to degree and postgraduate level qualifications with third level institutions, there’s a rich tapestry of options out there for adult learners in Ireland.

What you ultimately choose to study, of course will depend very much on your own individual preferences and circumstances. Do you want to do a night course or learn remotely via correspondence or the internet? How will your studies fit in with your work and family life? What do you hope to achieve… what’s your goal? What kind of support is available? All of these variables and many more will dictate the type of course you choose, and in the end only you can decide what’s right for you.

Where next?

A great starting point for more information about your adult education options is your local Citizens Information office, the Citizens Information website (just type Adult Education into the search box on the homepage) or the Citizens Information phone service on  Lo Call 1890 777 121. They’ll be able to point you to resources that are relevant in your particular circumstances.

The great news is that because adult education is flagged as a Government priority (back to those buzzwords again) there are plenty of initiatives, resources and schemes out there to help you get the most out of your foray into the adult education arena.

The internet is another great resource — both as a place to look up information about the courses, options and schemes that are available to you, and of course as a medium for education in and of itself. If you don’t have access at home you can get access for free at your local library — which is another great resource to find information about your local adult education options.

If you’re not sure about using a computer or the internet, guess what, you’ll find plenty of adult education courses that can teach you just that — some of them are even free. Ask at your library or citizens information office for details.

If you have access to the Internet, and it’s night courses you’re interested in, you’ll find a searchable database of courses and colleges covering all sorts of subjects over at Learning Ireland’s adult learning website www.nightcourses.com. You’ll also find articles and resources geared specifically for adult learners at your local Vocational Eduction Commitee (VEC) website, particularly if you’re interested in local community focussed learning opportunities.

There are many more useful websites on the web, all offering something a bit different. Try searching for Adult Education Ireland on your favourite internet search engine for a list of them.

Whatever you decide to study, and wherever it takes you, one thing’s for sure… you won’t be alone — over 300,000 adults take the plunge in Ireland every year. Why not make this the year you join them?

Image via Wikipedia

In general third level graduates are doing better than average in a very tough jobs market, says a study by the University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG), but the survey also shows significant variation between degree disciplines. With national unemployment rates approaching 12%, the University revealed that only 8% of the 2,300 or so graduates from the NUIG’s class of 2008 were still looking for work.

The University carried out the research from six to nine months after graduation, and had a healthy response rate of 62%. Over half of those respondents (c. 51%) had elected to pursue a postgraduate qualification, up from 49% last year and continuing a steadily rising trend. Of those available for work, one in every six NUIG science graduates (c. 16.5%)  was still trying to find a job, while for arts graduates the figure was one in 10 (10%), and a quarter of all law graduates were still looking for a position, although the vast majority of law graduates reported they had opted to further their studies.

Graduates most likely to be working were those with degrees in medicine and other health related disciplines, with 95% of respondents reporting they had secured employment.

Image by Brooks Elliott via Flickr

Time is an elusive commodity. Making effective use of your time can have a profound effect on your career and on your life in general, but unless you manage it carefully time can slip away almost without you noticing.

Consequently, time management is one of the biggest challenges in today’s workplace. Taking control of your time really could be the catalyst that will help you to achieve what you want in life, and you’ll find countless books, courses, systems and strategies out there to help you. Meanwhile, try these simple suggestions to start you on the road to increased personal productivity and success.

• Plan your work: spending ten to fifteen minutes at the start or end of each day planning your work will help you to focus on what’s important.
  Deal with routine more effectively: examine the routine tasks you do every day with a critical eye. Can they be streamlined at all? Could some be minimised, or even eliminated altogether? You’ll be amazed how much cumulative time you can save by shaving a few precious minutes off your routine tasks.
• Don’t waste time waiting: we all spend time waiting – waiting for appointments, waiting for the train or bus, waiting in traffic. Use that time constructively to catch up with some reading, or to work out how to move things forward on an important project.

• Set clear goals: if you don’t know what you want, how can you work towards achieving it? This is as true in life as it is in your career. Make sure you know what you want, then set about making it happen.
• Focus on results: being busy isn’t the same thing as being effective. Try to arrange your work into tasks that deliver tangible results.
• Differentiate between “urgent” and “important”: beware of taking on too many small “urgent” projects. If you spend all your time fire-fighting you won’t have time to focus on more important tasks that move you towards your long term goals.
• Get outside your comfort zone: we tend to naturally put off the tasks we’re least comfortable with. However, these are often the most important tasks in terms of achieving the results we want. Tackling these tasks first normally represents a much better investment of your time than focusing on the comfortable and familiar.
• Do small tasks immediately: don’t clutter up your life with long lists of mini-tasks. Cultivate a habit of doing anything that only takes a minute or two immediately. Do it now, do it once, and get it out of the way.
• Assign set times for e-mail and voice mail: give yourself set times during the day for checking and replying to e-mail and voice mail messages. Monitoring your messages on a continuous basis can eat into an extraordinary amount of your day.
• Take regular breaks: it may seem like odd advice when we’re talking about getting more done, but when you feel yourself flagging taking a short break will rejuvenate your energy levels, improve your focus and increase your productivity.

Mastering your time management will take a bit of effort, and of course will itself make demands on your time – but if you decide to make that investment the payback could be immense.

Image via Wikipedia

Written by Philip Crosbie, The Irish Institute of Chinese Studies, UCC

(Edited for Career Moves by Calvin Jones)

Why on earth would you want to learn Chinese?

A few years ago if you’d mentioned you were going to study the culture and language of the most populous country on earth that would have been a common response. Until relatively recently our only exposure to Chinese culture was a sanitised western version of its cuisine, and kung fu films! China, for many of us, still resonates as a distant frontier, somewhere only the most intrepid of travellers would venture: a mysterious cocktail of very different peoples, alien cultures and a cripplingly complex language.

But open any newspaper, magazine or current affairs website and you can’t help but notice another news story from what has become arguably the most dynamic and fastest changing society in the world. Whether it is culture, politics or economics, China continues to change apace, and its change that has impact on a global scale. Our little island on the periphery of northern Europe may seem a world away, but for the Irish economy and Irish business, change in China really matters!

In 1999, the Irish government instigated it’s Asia Strategy policy to enhance Irish trade and Irish interest within Asia. Central to this strategy is China, and how Ireland should position itself within a dynamic and rapidly evolving Chinese economy. Ireland already has a substantial presence within Asia through multinational companies such as Glanbia and PCH – proven leaders in their fields of business. But developing and enhancing Irish interests in China will depend on a new breed of home-grown graduates who are equipped with the core skills to understand the nature of the Asian business environment, and to prosper within it.

The Irish Institute of Chinese Studies (IICS) at University College Cork (UCC) was established in 2006 to deliver exactly that. It offers a range of courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level , aims to be a European centre of excellence in the area of Chinese studies, and to contribute to the growing cultural understanding between Ireland and China. In tandem, the institute also provides a consultation service to the public and private sector to facilitate cultural and economic links between Ireland and China.

The Institute currently offeres six degree courses in Chinese studies and two in Asian studies. With the two undergraduate programmes, students study for two years at UCC before spending a year at one of their partner universities in China and throughout Asia. In both of the undergraduate programmes, students learn to speak, read and write Mandarin (Putonghua). On all of the courses students gain an understanding of all aspects of Chinese business, culture, and socio economic conditions relating to Chinas past and, crucially, to it’s present.

For postgraduates the school offeres the ideal route for students without a traditional Chinese studies backround who want to move into a fascinating field with tremendous career opportuinities.

"Our postgraduate programmes are aiming to attract graduates from all different faculties of study – even if they come from outside the areas of social, cultural and language fields," said resident lecturer Dr. Jorn Gottwald. "We have had students from the areas of science, engineering and law who wish to gain a better understanding of this country and this region of the world, as it becomes more and more relevant to their field of study. Who’s to say that your future colleague or partner eithern in the law firm, the engineering firm or in the area of sciences wouldn’t be Chinese – or that the firm would not have a presence in China? it makes prectical sense within such a globalised world."

Image via Wikipedia

(Written by Professor Ciaran Murphy (Business Information Systems, UCC)
edited for Career Moves by Calvin Jones

Per head of population Ireland has the unique distinction of being the biggest exporter of services in the world today by quite a margin. That may sound like an extraordinary fact, but it’s exactly what Forfas, Ireland’s national policy advisory body for enterprise and science, says in its report "Catching the Wave – A Services Strategy for Ireland", and is a testament to the efforts of Enterprise Ireland and the IDA in attracting investment in to the sector.

The services sector spans a gamut of service-based industries that include Financial Services; Computer Services and Software; Healthcare Services; Education Services; Tourism; Creative and design services; Maritime Services; Transport; Bloodstock & agriculture; Engineering, Environmental & Architectural Services; Business Services; Professional & Consulting Services; and Research & Development Services. Together these industries contribute a massive 63% of added value to the national economy.

In the decade between 1997 and 2007, the gross value added in the Irish economy almost trebled from €60 billion to €170 billion. Two thirds of that growth was attributed to the services sector, where the value added figure rose from €34 billion to €108 billion.

Two thirds of Ireland’s workforce are employed in service.

Out of a total workforce of just over 2 million, the services sector employs 1.4 million. Between 1998 and 2007, employment in services increased by 520,000. And some 35 percent of workers in the manufacturing sector are also engaged in service-type activities. Services account for 43% of all exports from Ireland, and we’re currently the 10th highest exporter of services in the world, with a 2.7 % share of the world services export market. That’s a remarkable achievement for a tiny country on Europe’s periphery. Between 2000 and 2007 the contribution of services to total Irish exports doubled, from 21% to 43%.

Services provide high-quality employment.

Almost 40% of workers employed in the services sector are classified as high-skill employees, compared with an average of 35 percent across the entire economy. The services sector also makes a very substantial contribution to the Exchequer in terms of corporation taxes and to the Irish economy in terms of domestic expenditure. Add to that the fact that every 100 employees engaged in internationally traded services firms support an additional 99 jobs in ancillary and downstream services, and you begin to see just how significant the services sector is in Ireland.

Today services are the main driver of the Irish economy, and the most likely vehicle for sustainable economic growth, continued prosperity and improved living standards in the years ahead.

Ireland’s export performance in services is largely based on two key sectors – financial services/insurance and computers and software – which together account for around 60% of Ireland’s total services exports. Believe it or not, these sectors overlap to a very significant degree: international financial services companies, for example, employ more information systems personnel than any other category of staff, while conversely computer companies tend to employ large numbers of accounting personnel.

The Econimic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) forecasts that by 2025 services could account for over 70% of Irish exports and for nearly 80% of our GDP. Meanwhile, Forfas has identified the need to greatly increase the amount of research and development in the services sector if Ireland if we are to maintain our world-leading position and build on its success to date.
Building Ireland’s services expertise

Internationally, there has been relatively little research conducted on understanding the fundamental differences between innovation in service and manufacturing industries. Given that services will be the growth engine for Ireland moving forward, it is time for a change in mindset when it comes to the distribution of research funding. Ireland needs to channel more research funding into key service areas to ensure that we have a deep and compelling suite of service competencies. Other countries, like Finland to name but one example, are already investing heavily in services research.

Ongoing opportunity for high-calibre graduates

A vibrant services sector in Ireland will very much depend on a steady supply of high quality, innovative and creative graduates. Despite the economic uncertainty that currently prevails, we can be absolutely certain of one thing: Ireland’s economic prosperity in the future will depend on our success in the services sector. If you’re a student pondering your third-level course choices (or the parent of one), the good news is that the services sector has, and will continue to have, demand for a large numbers of graduates with skills and knowledge in areas related to key service disciplines like business, the financial services and computers & software.