Opel Ireland and its parent company General Motors (GM) has announced a partnership with the HEA’s (Higher Education Authority) Springboard programme, introducing new Graduate Programmes in University of Limerick and NUI Galway which will run from 2014 up to 2018.

The new initiative presents Opel and GM with the opportunity to work collaboratively with Irish universities to define the skill sets that will provide graduates with key industry skills in High Performance Computing and Middleware Integration for approximately 30 graduate positions annually.

The Higher Diploma in Software Development (Middleware integration) will be delivered at the University of Limerick starting in the middle of July.  The subject areas covered in the Diploma will be Java programming, distributed computing, OS/SQL/XML, Oracle and IBM middleware technologies. This higher level diploma course accounts for 60 ECT credits towards a Masters Degree.

The Diploma in Applied Sciences will be delivered by NUIG with a High Performance Computing stream being developed in conjunction with ICHEC (Irish Center for High End Computing) based on the NUIG campus starting early August 2014.  Subject areas include Operating Systems, Storage, Networks, Security, Hosting, Problem Solving and other key areas.

Applicants eligible to apply for these courses will have a qualification in a relevant engineering, computing, mathematics, science, or technology disciplines. Candidates who have a minimum of three years experiential learning in an appropriate computing discipline may also be considered.  Interested parties who do not meet the minimum requirements may also be considered under the Recognition of Prior Learning, both formal and experiential learning; non-accredited personal and professional education; work based training and relevant work experiences. As the work placement is a key element of the programme, applicants will be required to attend a workshop and interview to satisfy the course admission team that they have the ability to complete and benefit from this course.

Gerry Jacob, Chief Information Officer for GM Europe and the IT Global Infrastructure Organisation commenting on the association "Opel is happy to support Springboard and to work closely with the Universities to put together the most relevant programmes that deliver graduates who are highly trained and skilled in areas of high demand for industry and Opel. Through this initiative we are confident that a talent pipeline will be established and ultimately this multi-year graduate program will achieve the goal of creating a global Centre of Excellence for General Motors in Ireland.”