New ISA post-grad software degrees are first of their kind globally

3 May 2012

Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte with Edel Creely, MD, Trilogy Technologies/ISA Software Skillnet and Sean O'Sullivan, managing director SOSventures and CEO of Avego

The Irish Software Association (ISA) Skillnet last night unveiled two new post-graduate level qualifications in the area of product management which are understood to be the first of their kind globally.

Ireland’s Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte, TD, last night launched the Postgraduate Diploma in Product Management and the Masters Degree in Product Management, both for the software and technology sectors.

The ISA Software Skillnet brought together a group of leading companies through the Irish Software Association with the Dublin Institute of Technology Business School to create these programmes.  

Cluster model

“The Irish sector is learning from the cluster model in Silicon Valley and displaying new approaches itself,” said Paul O’Sullivan, dean of the Dublin Institute of Technology.  

“Organisations need to bring the function closer to the board table and incorporate product management as a key strategic function in the business. This is the province within software companies that links innovation and technology to markets and buyers.”

The funding for the development is a shared investment by companies and the Skillnets Enterprise Training Agency through grant funding to the ISA Software Skillnet.

“While there is always magic and genius in the creation of truly great products, building great software and hardware products begins with effective product management,” added Sean O’Sullivan, CEO of Avego and SOSventures who was present last night to help launch the new qualifications.

“Thanks to this ISA Software Skillnet initiative, the magic and mysteries of product management are being revealed as methods and procedures to a new generation of product managers in Ireland.”

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com