Job prospects promising for GMIT Architectural Technology graduates

Students on the Bachelor of Science in Architectural Technology programme in GMIT hosted a public exhibition of their final year projects in the Galway campus in May and June, attended by local companies, sponsors, lecturers, the students and their families.

Lecturer and exhibition organiser Irene Hayden says career prospects for graduates of the four year honours Architectural Technology degree programme look increasingly promising. “Our graduates are being sought by architectural and consulting engineering firms, and contracting and industrial manufacturing firms in a variety of locations, including some local companies in the West of Ireland,” says Ms Hayden.

“There is huge demand for their technical design skills, analytical skills and flexibility to problem-solve, as they leave college with expertise in a range of software including Computer Aided Design (CAD) and AutoDesk 'Revit Architecture' which uses Building Information Modelling (BIM) at its core, thus ensuring that as graduates, they are job-ready and can contribute to the workplace immediately.”

Mark Costello, Director of BIM RPS, says: “GMIT has been instrumental in providing high quality local honours Architectural and Engineering graduates to ensure we continue to meet ever changing industry requirements delivering projects in a BIM environment in Ireland and the UK.”
 

“RPS plans, designs, develops and manages projects for public and private sector clients and has been responsible for some of the largest infrastructural and essential projects in Ireland, employing over 500 talented people in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway, Letterkenny and Sligo. A BIM philosophy is fully integrated into our design ethos across our business and we are industry leaders in this regards. “
 

Irene Hayden says: “On successful completion of the programme our graduates are able to design and detail with full building regulation compliance-building works projects from a domestic scale up to a multi-storey mixed-use commercial application. The exhibition showcased their skills in this area.”

Prizes for the best projects in the exhibition were sponsored by companies Saint-Gobain Ecophon, Moy Materials, and Building Envelope Technologies Ltd (BET).

Tom Farrell of Moy Materials Ltd, who gave two presentations to the students throughout the academic year, says: “We are delighted to have provided assistance and support and look forward to further collaborations with GMIT in the future.”

James Cousins of BET (Building Envelope Technologies Ltd), which specialise in building performance, compliance testing and consultancy, says “GMIT staff are always looking to find ways to make the classroom learning environment as practical as possible by linking it with industry. We were very interested in and assisting with this event and see it as a good opportunity for us with work with GMIT staff and students and try to improve industry links with third level education.”

“The exhibition provides a platform for students to demonstrate all their various competencies in one project. It focuses on almost every technical aspect of their third level undergraduate education and rolls it into one. BET believes in giving an opportunity to these students to receive recognition for the hard work they have carried out over the past number of years,” he added.

Mary Rogers, Head of the GMIT Dept of Building & Civil Engineering, says: “We were delighted to have such a great representation from the construction profession and industry at our exhibition. It is a fantastic endorsement of our Architectural Technology programme and graduates. I would like to thank especially our award sponsors and look forward to further collaborations with companies and organisations who value both our programme and our graduates.”