Graduation of GCL Industrial Engineers – November 2017
Pictured (From left to right): Graduates Damien Prendergast, Alan Harnett, Patrick Geary, Padraig O'Connell, Declan Manto, Con Connolly, Cormac Gillman, Thomas Roche, James Madigan, Bernard Murphy, Niall Carruth, Emmett Fell, Joseph Moore, Diarmuid Corcoran, David O'Sullivan and Patrick Brosnan. (Front Row - left to right) Griffith College Director of Academic Programmes Dr. Tomas MacEochagain, Computing and Engineering Programme Director for Limerick Campus Bridget Murphy, Griffith College President Prof. Diarmuid Hegarty, Head of Campus for Limerick Kevin O'Sullivan, Niall Collins TD, B.Eng. In Industrial Engineering Programme Director John McDonough and President of the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers Jim O'Sullivan.
Note from Kevin O’Sullivan – Head of Griffith College Limerick Campus
"On November 23rd 2017, Griffith College Limerick held its graduation ceremony at Thomond Park Stadium in Limerick City. Among the many graduating students was a group receiving the Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Industrial Engineering (B.Eng.IE), validated by Quality Qualifications Ireland (QQI). This particular qualification is unique, in so far as across its ten modules it pulls together all of the skills required to operate successfully in industrial and systems engineering environments. The graduates now have the skills to tackle complex problems and create opportunities in a range of organisations. Somewhat misleading in title, it allows graduates to work the public and private, manufacturing and service sectors where they set up systems, build in efficiencies, improve work flows and generally make a variety of things work better. And they do all of this in an environmentally friendly way. Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Jim O’Sullivan, President of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers emphasised the importance and value of the work undertaken by Industrial Engineers. He urged the graduates to diligently apply their new skills and enjoy the fruits of their labour in gaining the qualification, not just for their own benefit, but for the benefit of others. He advised them above all, to take pride in the work they do.The graduation of our B.Eng. students was a significant event for both the College and indeed the recipients of the degree. For the College this was the first group (of many, I hope) to graduate in that qualification from the Limerick Campus. It represented the culmination of all the worthwhile effort that was required to put the qualification in place. I am singling out this group because, as Head of the Limerick Campus, the graduation of this cohort of engineers was particularly satisfying for me, given that it was the first time in over twenty years that a qualification in this discipline had been awarded in the Limerick region. It was also rewarding to see the mixture of ages in the graduating group. I know that for some graduates it represented the achievement of a prestigious QQI award they might not otherwise have had access to, were it not for the Springboard courses initiative. For others it was a means of validating the skills and knowledge they had gained over many years in the workplace. Similarly, the younger ones, mainly setting out on their careers, now had in their possession the means to ply their much sought-after skills with a fully recognised Level 7 qualification, either at home or overseas.
All in all a good night, not just for the engineers, but for all of the other graduates."
