GMIT is investing €1 million in a plan to deepen collaboration between the Institute of technology and the engineering industry.
The GMIT ‘Transcend’ project aims to enhance collaboration between the School of Engineering and industry, and support the transition to state of the art fields of digital technologies, robotics, and automation.
Head of the School of Engineering Professor Graham Heaslip said, “Manufacturing is changing faster than ever and it’s critical that manufacturers increase connectivity and adopt digital technologies to make better informed, data-driven decisions.
He added that engineering and manufacturing are moving towards a new ‘4.0’ technological renaissance which makes this growth essential.
For ‘Transcend’, GMIT is planning to develop several new courses from Level 6 (post Leaving Cert) to Level 9 (Masters) aimed at upskilling the workforce in the west of Ireland.
The €1 million investment will be spent on infrastructure and equipment to support the delivery of these programmes.
Along with this, GMIT will be collaborating on “industry led research” to support the transition to “industry 4.0” Graham Heaslip said.
Dr Carine Gachon, Head of the GMIT Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, said that organisations have to think about how to leverage technology to drive growth and efficiency.
The project builds on the success of the recently launched innovative industry-led engineering degree in Automation and Robotics.
The B. Eng in Automation and Robotics programme develops graduate engineers that can design, build and manage modern manufacturing cells.
The programme has been designed in collaboration with Thermo King and in close consultation with manufacturing industries in the region, all of whom identified a requirement to upskill their employees to meet emergent Industry 4.0 requirements.
The GMIT and Thermo King collaboration has won numerous awards including the Trane Technologies 2020 President’s Award for Innovation and Growth, and the West Regional Skills Awards 2020, Exceptional Leadership Award Winner.
GMIT students were involved in a Thermo King project which won Engineers Ireland’s prestigious “Design Innovation & Sustainability Project of the Year Award”.
The programme has also been shortlisted for “Best Business and Third-Level Institute Collaboration” for the Education Awards 2021.
Professor Graham Heaslip added “Partnering with industry has always been central to making sure our programmes and research are relevant and impactful.
“We want to nurture, grow and develop our industry engagement so that our partners get the most out of their relationship with us.”
