Derry City and Strabane District Council, in partnership with the North West Regional College, are seeking applicants for an exciting course aimed at fast tracking students into a career in the IT industry.
Kickstart IT is a 12 week, industry led, course aimed at students at HND level and above that provides specialist training to enable them to successfully apply for IT software roles.
The full time course will begin on 8th of March and offers students a placement of at least four weeks with a local software company and a guaranteed job interview with participating companies.
Job Brokerage Officer at Derry City and Strabane District Council, Mena Kearney, revealed the programme will offer industry recognised qualifications and provide training to help give students a competitive edge in the local job market.
“We are delighted to be working with the North West Regional College and local IT companies to provide this course that will help satisfy a shortage of computer programmers in our region,” she said.
“The course has employability sessions integrated into it which aim to enhance the candidates’ personal development to give the best possible chance during the job application process.
“These include assistance with application form completion, interview skills, mock interview feedback and presentations, skills they can use regardless of whether or not they choose to pursue a career in IT at the end of the course.”
Candidates must be fully available for the full time, 35 hours per week, schedule and successful students will gain an ISTQB Foundation Certificate in Software Testing, an OCN Level 4 Diploma in Software Development and Oracle Java certification.
Lecturer in Computing at North West Regional College, Kevin McLaughlin, revealed that, despite the short nature of the course, students will learn a wide range of programming functions.
“This software fundamentals course will allow students with no background in IT to quickly learn a range of skills and programming languages that they can put into practise in the workplace,” he said.
“It includes content like C Sharp, Java, Selenium, SQL and other relevant industry specific modules as well as a strong emphasis on software testing and design.
“The local software industry is a growing one and the successful completion of this course can leave candidates strongly equipped to successfully gain employment and thrive in it.”
Eligible candidates must be resident in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area and possess a HND or equivalent level qualification in any discipline.
The selection process for the course is initially by application form with short listed candidates progressing to an aptitude test to assess logical and mathematical skills and finally an interview with representatives from NWRC and DCSDC.
Application packs are available from the Kickstart Office on 02871308466 or by emailing mena.kearney@derrystrababe.com. Closing date for applications is 4.00pm Wednesday 21st February 2018.
