SPRINGBOARD+ at UCC 2020/2021

SPRINGBOARD+ at UCC
          2020/2021

What is Springboard+?
Springboard+ is one of a number of initiatives designed by the government to
support people back into employment and to build the supply of skilled graduates
for vacancies arising across key sectors of the economy. It forms part of the
Government’s Action Plan for Jobs, Action Plan for Education and the National
Skills Strategy, which aims to increase the number of people in employment to
2.1m by 2020. The programme is funded through the National Training Fund and
the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014- 2020.

Who should apply?
• Unemployed and formerly self-employed jobseekers - 100% fee subsidy
• Returners (homemakers, carers, etc.) - 100% fee subsidy
• People in employment - 90% fee subsidy

Why complete a Springboard+ course at UCC?
• Academic expertise combined with industry focus
• Dedicated support for adult learners
• Individual career coaching
• Part-time delivery
• Courses rated highly by employers and graduates alike

What do our graduates say?

“My year in UCC was such an enlightening one. It was able to bring out aspects of
myself that had long been forgotten. Because of the support and hard work I put
into my year in UCC, I have now set up my own business. I am now at a place in my
life where I can express who I am and what I can do because of my time in UCC,
where my confidence was reinforced. I would encourage anyone to take that leap
back to education - work hard to make your dreams come true.”
						 UCC Springboard Graduate

“Since graduating, I got a great job in a multinational company here in Cork. I
chose the UCC Springboard course because I thought it would be a chance to give
my CV the extra edge it needed. Personally, I don’t think I would have gotten the
job if had not been for the course because it showed commitment and versatility,
and really sharpened my skillset.”
						 UCC Springboard Graduate

Level 7 Part-time Programmes

Certificate in Management Practice
Today’s business environment is one which is rapidly changing: Brexit presents significant
and unknown challenges for many businesses operating in Ireland; there is increased global
uncertainty; and new technology is disrupting traditional ways of doing business. Such changing
context requires managers to be responsive, agile and capable of developing new approaches
and solutions to address key issues in order for their businesses to remain competitive. This
programme is designed to introduce participants to key management principles, best practices
and practical ready-to-apply tools through the lens of self, team and the organisation in order
to help students build their own managerial skill-set, while delivering immediate improvements
to their current/future employer.

Certificate in Operator Development (Pharma Manufacturing)
This programme provides essential knowledge and skill development for the role of operator
in a pharma manufacturing environment. Tailored specifically for those currently in or seeking
operator roles, the programme aims to equip participants with the skills demanded by pharma
facilities in Ireland today. Specifically, the programme provides a complementary set of modules
which allow the student to explore topics such as personal effectiveness, communication skills,
motivation, delivering constructive feedback, following standard operating procedures, as well
as more technical areas such as pharmaceutical unit operations, workplace health and safety
systems, risk management, cleanroom operations, quality and cGMP compliance systems.

Certificate in Process and Chemical Engineering
This programme provides participants with an understanding of the basic principles which
underpin Process and Chemical Engineering and how they are applied in the process
industries. Participants on the programme will be exposed to the fundamentals of chemical
process engineering. This includes not only the fundamental principles which underpin process
engineering (fluid mechanics, heat transfer, mass transfer, thermodynamics), but also the
application of these principles (pumps and piping systems, flow measurement and sampling
systems, heat exchanger design, energy conservation and integration, thermal process
engineering, refrigeration, combustion, steam generation, combined heat and power plants
and a range of separation processes involving heat and mass transfer). The important area
of powder technology (characterisation, storage, handling, dust control) is also covered, as is
process instrumentation, automation and control.

Certificate in Safety, Health and Welfare at Work
As health and safety is a statutory imperative for all organisations, employers must continuously
update their employees’ knowledge and skills in this field to ensure compliance. The Certificate
in Safety, Health and Welfare at Work will equip students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes
to assist them in working safely while performing their duties in the workplace, regardless of the
sector. This programme has been designed primarily to provide students with the education
and training required to be competent in the practice of health and safety in the workplace. It
introduces students to key principles, best practises and practical ready-to-apply tools in order
to help students build their own skill-set, while delivering immediate improvements to their
organisation.

Certificate in Supply Chain Management
The Certificate in Supply Chain Management will provide a holistic understanding of the dynamics
of supply chains and enhance the ability to continually improve supply chain performance. This
part-time programme seeks to maximise participants’ previous and/or current work experience
by providing a structured approach to the key elements of Lean SCM, e.g. improve supply
chain efficiency and effectiveness; enhance process design, customer services and information
services; and provide all organisational functions with an acute awareness of costs and the
ability to enhance value-adding activities. The Certificate includes a Green Belt in Lean SCM,
offered in association with the Leading Edge Group (applied/practitioner partners) and
accredited by the Institute of Industrial Engineers, Ireland (IIE).

Certificate in Environmental Science, Sustainability and Climate
The Certificate in Environmental Science, Sustainability and Climate will introduce students
to key theories and skills related to the environmental and related sustainable and societal
issues within their own organisations. Environmental issues such as climate change, sustainable
development and planning, use and misuse of natural resources, environmental conditions
and the protection of human health are now high on the agenda of all governments, resulting
in more stringent regulations and standards. This in turn has created a greater need for an
environmentally aware, knowledgeable and appropriately trained workforce. This course
will provide up-skilling/re-skilling in environmental science, sustainable development and
adaptation and mitigation of climate change for students with experience in a range of sectors,
in particular; construction, retail, agriculture, health and safety, and bio-pharma.

Level 8 Part-time Programmes
Certificate in Procurement Management
This programme is the first university accredited NFQ level 8 award in procurement
management in Ireland. It is designed to maximise organisational impact and personal
effectiveness of participants who either hold the role of or aspire to be buyers, procurement
specialists or category managers within SMEs and multinational companies. Delivered using a
blend of academic experts and highly experienced practitioners in the field of procurement, the
Certificate aims to equip participants with cutting-edge skills and processes directly applicable
to the workplace. This unique course is designed to up-skill participants in technical, managerial
and people skills, what is known as the ‘holy trinity’ of procurement competence.

Higher Diploma in Advanced Languages and Global Communication
This programme is aimed at people hoping to return to the job market or those wishing to
boost their careers with modern language and intercultural communication skills along with
competencies relating to managing global relationships, ICT, translation and localisation skills.
The programme offers advanced specialism in one language (from Spanish, German, Portuguese,
Italian and French) and 10 credits of an additional foreign language from an expanded range
including Chinese, Korean and Japanese. It will equip students with the necessary language
competence, as well as intercultural skills, to be able to do business with markets of particular
strategic interest to Ireland, both in Europe and beyond. By the end of the course, students in
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German and French will have reached a minimum of CEFR level B1.

Level 9 Part-time Programmes
Postgraduate Certificate in Project Management
The Postgraduate Certificate in Project Management (level 9), delivered in conjunction with
industry-based training company Velopi Project Management, equips participants with a
broad perspective of project and programme management including technical, leadership and
strategic business dynamics. The programme is supported by academic and industry-based
expert-practitioners who deliver a curriculum that is relevant, current, informed by research
and grounded in practice. Using interactive seminar and workshop formats, participants
engage in case studies, group and individual exercises in order to develop their decision-
making and problem-solving skills. This ensures that project management is understood in its
organisational context by emphasising strategic alignment and the management of resources.

Postgraduate Certificate in (Bio) Pharma Processing
The Postgraduate Certificate in (Bio)Pharma Processing is designed to facilitate science or
engineering graduates who hold sufficient educational or professional experience to transition
into the BioPharmaceutical sector nationally. Development and delivery of this level 9 course
in the Munster area, where comparatively high numbers of Pharmaceutical companies are
situated, will provide participants with experience in the manufacture of active pharmaceutical
ingredients and their formulations. Students will be given technical and practical knowledge
of the key upstream and downstream processes associated with the industry, as well as sterile
fill-finish, API and formulation production. This combination of modules, which spans both the
drug development and drug manufacturing processes, and has been designed to meet the
existing and projected needs of the industry, will help produce confident graduates that are
technically competent for employment in the (Bio)Pharmaceutical sector. It will improve the
skillsets of those already employed in the industry, and provide a much needed increase in the
talent pool available for employment.

Postgraduate Diploma in (Bio) Pharma Processing
This level-9 Postgraduate Diploma will provide students with knowledge and experience
covering (Bio)Pharmaceutical industrial processes, from the design and development of
biological drugs, to the manufacture, purification and formulation of active drug substance.
Programme content, which has been designed to meet the existing and expected needs
of the industry, will produce graduates who not only have a fundamental understanding of
the (Bio)Pharmaceutical sector, but additionally possess critical-thinking skills to meet the
growing research and optimisation needs in the (Bio)Pharma workplace. There will be a focus
on technical and practical aspects of upstream and downstream processes. The course will
improve the skillsets of those already employed in the industry, and provide a much needed
increase in the talent pool available for employment.

Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Arts and Humanities
This course produces digitally-literate, interdisciplinary graduates with strong collaborative
skills suited to filling a variety of roles in the knowledge economy. It provides a firm
grounding in how to capture, read and write sources across a range of digital tools. The
course introduces learners to ways of managing learning digitally, using digital tools to
collaborate and understanding how interdisciplinary work is important in tackling complex
real-world problems. Modules address the problem of capturing complex real-world sources
in standard digital formats, before analysing and interpreting results, as well as presenting
findings in publicly accessible formats. It locates these technical skills in the context of
practical collaboration and teamwork, built into student centred, research based learning and
assessment which requires engagement both face to face and online, effectively using social
media tools, and provides a solid theoretical framework in contemporary debates about our
rich tapestry of history, heritage, culture, arts and media. Capturing these in digital forms for
analysis and creation of new transmedia narratives is regarded as an increasingly important
transferable skill across all sectors – businesses need people who can tell compelling stories.

Due to the current Cover-19 restrictions and social distancing requirements, it is anticipated
    that programmes will be delivered in a blended learning format. This approach will
 comprise online delivery of material, as well as face-to-face classes where possible. This
              may change through the year as public health advice changes.

Want to know more?
Adult Continuing Education (ACE), The Laurels, University College Cork,
Western Road, Cork.
Email: ace.springboard@ucc.ie Phone: +353 (0)87 693 100
			                            (Lorna Moloney - UCC Springboard+ Coordinator)

How much will it cost?
Courses are free for jobseekers and returners. Those in employment will receive a
90% fee subsidy from the HEA – the remaining 10% will be payable to UCC upon
commencement of the programme.

How to apply?
Candidates are advised to apply early as high demand is anticipated and places
are limited. Applications will NOT be assessed until all supporting documentation
has been received. Please ensure that you have the following documentation
available at the time of application:

• Copies of transcripts and parchments for any previous relevant educational
 qualifications
• Current CV
• Application Statement
• Copy of IELTS/TOEFL certificate for non-native English speakers.

          Apply before 14th August 2020 at
          http://www.springboardcourses.ie
            (Please be advised that some courses may close
            early if they reach capacity before the deadline)

          Springboard+ is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and
          the European Social Fund as part of the ESF programme for
                employability, inclusion and learning 2014-2020.