The limitless career development opportunities of tech

13 Nov 2015

At this point, it almost goes without saying that this was a week replete with job announcements. But there was much more to it than that – it was also about career development.

Of course, the areas do overlap, and even those jobs announcements offer opportunities for career development.

Which means this week offered a lot of opportunities for career development.

Viridian kicked things off early in the week, announcing 35 jobs to come on board in Belfast in line with a €28m investment.

Then Wednesday hit, and with it came 1,345 jobs, from Apple, Indeed and Swrve.

Bluemetrix rounded the week out with 15 jobs in Cork.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the IT industry is credited with continuously driving job growth in Ireland. As if that were in doubt, Morgan McKinley this week unveiled their latest employment monitor, which drives the point home.

If you’re worried that all of these newly-minted jobs are for experienced candidates, fear not – this is where the career development comes into it. If these particular roles are off limits to graduates, then others are most certainly not.

According to Anne-Marie Walsh, managing consultant at Hays Recruitment, opportunities are now rife for graduates in the tech industry, as companies begin to realise the benefits of tapping the grad market.

Which is good news, as this week saw a few more (highly-talented) grads added to the pool. DCU students Tessa Ronan and Cleo Harvey received accolades for their work over the course of their undergraduate studies, and both women are going on to undertake postgrad degrees.

Of course, for many, that STEM learning starts even before college. This week, we took a look at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch-hosted Meet the Stemettes, at which young women were encouraged – and encouraged each other – to pursue careers in STEM.

Then, for those a little less science-oriented, and a lot more techy, there was this week’s inaugural Women Who Code Dublin event.

The arrival of Women Who Code in Dublin – announced by the organisation’s UK Expansion Director, Sheree Atcheson, at Inspirefest 2015 – will offer career development opportunities for women working in tech and those hoping to transition within the industry.

In an age when gender diversity is still woeful at most tech companies, programmes like Women Who Code can make a huge difference, ensuring that there are more than enough women to fill empty roles.

And, thanks to a video featuring CEO Pierre Nanterme, we know that Accenture, for one, is more than willing to hire them.

For more information on any of these stories, follow the links below.

1. Viridian bringing 35 jobs to Belfast

As part of a €28m investment, the parent company of Energia, Viridian Group, is to create 35 IT jobs over the next three years in its Belfast office.

2. An amazing 1,345 jobs announced in one day

Dublin and Cork have each received major jobs announcements on the back of a trio of company expansions, with 1,345 positions planned across the two cities.

3. Bluemetrix creating 15 big data jobs for Cork

Big data specialist solution provider Bluemetrix has announced a new partnership with the creator of the Hadoop program creator, Hortonworks, which will see 15 jobs created in its Cork office.

4. IT still driving jobs growth in Ireland

IT roles once again played a primary role in the 6pc growth of professional job opportunities coming on stream in October, with finance and multilingual positions also playing their part.

5. Graduate opportunities rife in tech, says Hays

According to Anne-Marie Walsh, managing consultant at Hays Recruitment, opportunities are now rife for graduates seeking to enter the tech sector.

6. DCU physics grads gather top awards

DCU applied physics graduates Cleo Harvey and Tessa Ronan have scooped big awards for their studies.

7. Meet the Stemettes encourages young women in STEM

The Stemettes ran their first multi-city event last weekend in Dublin and London, with plenty of wisdom on offer.

8. Women Who Code geared up for Dublin premiere night

The first ever Women Who Code (WWCode) branch in Ireland launched on 12 November in Dublin, with the non-profit now in 10 European locations, and 18 worldwide.

9. “We have to take care of all people” – Accenture CEO

Accenture’s CEO Pierre Nanterme has appeared in a series of videos advocating for why gender equality in STEM is so important, using his 15-year-old daughter as an example.

Looking for tech jobs in Ireland? Check out our Featured Employers section for information on companies hiring right now.

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Main image via Shutterstock

Kirsty Tobin
By Kirsty Tobin

Kirsty Tobin served as careers editor of Silicon Republic from 2015 up to August 2017. When she was younger, she had a dream where she started and won a fight with a T-Rex, so she’s pretty sure she kicked butt at this, too. Passions include eating all the cake, watching more TV than is healthy and sassy comebacks.

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