Intel Ireland and Dublin's Tallaght Institute of Technology have pioneered a new way of combining in-house management development training and academic accreditation. From this year, Intel managers taking part in the company's three year in-house management training programme will be awarded an NCEA (National Council for Educational Awards) validated national diploma in management from Tallaght IT at the end of their training.
"As far as we know, it's the first time a company's in-house training programme has received NCEA certification," says Ann Marie Gill, site management and employee development manager at Intel Ireland. "We knew that our management development programme was well up to the standard of similar external courses so we approached our neighbours, Tallaght IT, to see if there was some way we could work together on achieving recognition for what we were doing. Accrediting an inhouse course obviously involved a paradigm shift from an academic perspective, but we had tremendous support and encouragement from the people in Tallaght, who were very tuned in to us."
Intel employs more than 3,000 people at its Irish manufacturing operation in Leixlip, Co Kildare. The company has been in Ireland since 1989 and its plant operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, producing microchips for the IT sector. Intel has a strong corporate commitment to employee training and personal development. There is an in-house Intel "university" in the US which puts employees through highly regarded training programmes, while Intel's Irish operation has 20 training rooms which are in use night and day.
"It is company policy to provide a high level of ongoing training and employee development," says Gill. "Everyone coming to work at Intel goes through an induction programme and with the rapid pace of technological change there is a constant need for retraining. We also have a lot of experience in management development, and we packaged all of this training together to provide the framework for the diploma course. Most of the teaching is done by in-house specialists with input from Tallaght IT and IBEC on specific modules. We had to make our case to the NCEA and to convince them that our training was on par with what was being offered by any third-level institution."
There are currently 30 managers on the diploma course with another group coming on stream shortly. The diploma course comprises six modules, covering topics such as people management, leadership, the legal environment and principles of management. Students attend lectures and workshops and are involved in case studies, simulations and a variety of practical projects to reinforce their learning.
"The diploma is an innovative coming together by the business and academic sectors and I think it has enormous potential as a concept," says Gill. "It is a logical development to combine the two given the pace of life today and the fact that people have so many demands on their free time."
