As part of the Engineering Programme at ITT, the Institute offers students a second opportunity in October to apply for engineering courses through its Accelerated Technician Programme. These courses are Precision Engineering and Manufacturing Technology and both begin in January.

These courses have a 100 per cent employment record and seek to attract those students with the determination to succeed on a challenging educational programme and the motivation to develop career in an increasingly knowledge-based sector.

Offering a second opportunity to mature students, as well as second-level school leavers, the Precision Engineering and Manufacturing Technology courses at ITT are open to both male and female candidates. Both courses are designed by national joint Industry/Institute Course Design Groups and are structured so that students carry out two six month periods at the Institute of Technology, interspersed with a six month period of structured industrial placement. The validating authority is the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), with the courses leading to Higher Certificate Awards.

For the student, the courses offer paid placement, year-long learning, experience and a close relevance to employment needs. After 18 months, the student has a third-level qualification in a skill shortage area, complete with six months work experience.

For the employer, these courses offer involvement in student selection and course design and the early availability of personnel in placements. The courses address key skill needs, with the employer getting the chance to sponsor employees on the course.

Precision Engineering:

This course aims to impart the skills and knowledge required for technicians to be able to perform successfully in the precision industry. The students undertake such subjects as computing, manufacturing automation, methods of precision manufacturing and manufacturing studies & production control. It aims to enable participants to have a practical knowledge of the processes, techniques and economics of Precision Engineering. Other aims of the course are to give the participant an understanding of the principles of engineering, mathematics and computing; the participants to apply experimental, analytical and numerical methods, appropriate to manufacturing precision engineering components, they will have the ability to communicate engineering concepts and ideas by oral, written and graphical means, successful participants will have the ability to assimilate, interpret and evaluate information from a wide range of sources including IT-based systems.

Manufacturing Technology:

The success of the Irish manufacturing industry is recognised internationally and further expansion will generate an increasing need for qualified manufacturing technicians. The course offered at ITT is designed to address the technician-skill needs of modern electronics manufacturing industry.

The course provides participants with an understanding of modern manufacturing systems and gives in-course experience of employment. It equips participants with the knowledge and manual skills in the electro-mechanical or instrumentation/industrial electronics area. It also imparts knowledge of the fundamental principles of science and engineering. In addition it provides a new method of co-operative education and new opportunities of access to third level qualifications.