Advance Centre Industry Forum – Addressing key skills for Digital Transformation in Industry

April 05, 2023

Advance Centre organised its first ever industry forum “Addressing key skills for Digital Transformation in Industry” on March 24th, in UCD.

Bridie Killoran (Senior Careers & Learning Pathways Manager, Mycareerpath.ie), Yvonne Sarsfield (Instructional Designer, Advance Centre, ATU Sligo), Eileen Larkin (Enterprise Liaison Officer, Mycareerpath.ie), Sinead O'Donovan (Advance Centre Marketing Manager, ATU Sligo), Louise O'Gorman (Advance Centre Manager, ATU Sligo), Xavier Velay (ATU Project Lead, Advance Centre, ATU Sligo), and Jean Gilligan (Head of Online Learning Business Development & Operations Manager, ATU Sligo) pose behind a glass railing, smiling for the camera.

The event was designed for senior industry leaders to help them get a better understanding of the digital transformation journey, from policies, procedures to talent management, and to highlight some of the ways Universities can support this.

Atlantic Technological University (ATU) was represented by two HCI Pillar 3 funded projects. The Advance Centre ATU Sligo moderated panel one and was a guest speaker in panel two. Higher Ed 4.0’s Mycareerpath.ie which is available to professionals in the workplace, those returning to education, wishing to upskill, cross skill and those seeking to enhance their careers were panel guest speakers. Also, from ATU the Centre for Online Learning, was delighted to highlight its suite of programmes aimed at industry.

This collaboration across ATU services demonstrates how the service provided by the Advance Centre continues to address the West and Northwest industry’s future skills needs.

Over the course of a half day, participants had the opportunity to follow a very engaging programme. The first keynote speaker, John Durcan Senior Technologist in the IDA, presented on the new regulatory changes in the digital area emerging from the EU, impacts this may bring for industry and the supports available. This was followed by an industry panel sharing the key challenges with digital transformation across various sectors. The second keynote speaker Maureen Gaffney, renowned psychologist, and broadcaster, spoke about transition points in people’s careers, tools allowing them to build resilience and how to successfully adapt. Through the second panel discussion from educational providers the Advance Centre was able to showcase the changes in learning solutions such as micro-credentials, and recognition of prior learning pathways being made available.

The event sparked a constructive exchange of ideas, supported by an overall positive conclusion that there are a lot of opportunities ahead on the digital journey when we put people at its centre.

Further details can be found at https://mycareerpath.ie/ and https://www.advancecentre.ie/ and atu.ie/sligoonline.