WE ALL LEAD busy lives.
It can be easy to put things off right now in the hopes of returning to them down the line. This is especially true when it comes to your work life. You may want to upskill or study a new subject with the aim of advancing your career, but you just can’t find the gap in your busy life to set aside time for it.
If advancing your career in a manner that suits you is what you want to do, Atlantic Technological University (ATU) has the solution. As a leader in flexible learning, ATU offers students the opportunity to study part-time and fulfil their long-held ambitions.
Right now, ATU has over 100 online and flexible courses open for application for a January 2024 start. Students can study part-time through a variety of delivery modes such as online, blended and on-campus learning.
No matter what sector your career is in, you’re likely to find a course perfectly suited for your needs. Discover the full course list here and take the next step in your career development.
To learn more about the exciting opportunities that ATU can offer you if you want to upskill, retrain or change career, we spoke to some recent graduates about their experience and the opportunities that opened for them upon graduating.
Christopher Greenan, a recent graduate of the online MSc in Biopharmaceutical Science was looking to advance his career when he discovered what ATU offered.
“My motivation for doing the online Masters in Biopharmaceutical Science was for career progression and to gain more skills in an area in which I wanted to further my career,” Christopher says.
Working as a Quality Specialist in MSD, Cork, Christopher learned about ATU from a colleague, who recommended the course they did, MSc in Biopharmaceutical Science. Chris liked his role but he had a passion for more niche areas in Biopharma.
He earned the Postgraduate Diploma in Biopharmaceutical Science before embarking on the MSc, and hasn’t looked back since, opening his own consultancy business that looks at updates and advancements in regulation and compliance in process automation.
Chantelle Grant, a graduate of the Master of Business in Innovation & Leadership (Executive), similarly heard about her course from a work colleague.
“The main driver behind completing the master’s programme was so that I could further deepen my knowledge around leadership,” Chantelle adds.
Chantelle had previously studied in ATU and knew the “calibre of lecturers within the university,” which helped solidify her decision to return and improve her qualifications.
For Gary O’Sullivan, a graduate of the Certificate in Fire Safety and current student of the MSc in Built Environment, studying a Level 9 degree was something he “always wanted to do.”
“I did some research online and I came across the Level 9 Certificate in Fire Safety and started there, then I went on to study the Level 9 Certificate in Energy Conservation and Environmental Services. Both were hugely beneficial for my role. I then chose to further my studies even further by enrolling on the MSc in Built Environment Regulations at ATU which I am currently studying,” Gary says.
Gary was looking for an “overall coverage” of building regulations in Ireland, and the courses he has studied to date have led to a comprehensive understanding of the subject.
I am a big believer in progressing your career and upskilling through further education and it is imperative within the construction industry,” Gary adds.
As touched on by Chantelle, the course content at ATU is varied and of the highest calibre. Each course focuses on practical, real-world learnings that students can immediately apply to their current role. Students come away with a deep understanding of practical elements within their chosen field.
“The way in which the programme was delivered was extremely practical in that we were given the space and time to put the knowledge learned into practice,” Chantelle says.
Every module throughout the two years has been relevant in some capacity,” she adds.
“These courses are extremely complimentary to my work,” says Gary.
“I can apply my everyday learnings to my company and my role. The skills gained through my studies have given me the insights to be fully compliant to the standards within my remit which is Mechanical and Electrical design and to raise questions and give advice across all aspects of a project,” he added.
Similarly, Christopher praised the complementary nature of the course he studied.
The course was very relevant to my role, and I was able to apply my learnings to my daily job which helped me understand the theory that I was studying,” he said.
With many students balancing their studies with work, ATU can help students apply their studies to their work from the very first day of the course.
For Gary, he found the lecturers at ATU to be experts in their field and most importantly, experts at transferring their knowledge to their students.
“The Academic team at ATU have distilled the key areas of the Irish Building Regulations and associated statutory, legal, and contractual requirements to a format that has given me an in-depth overview which we use every day in design at OSENG [Gary’s construction company]. It’s great not just reading the standards and regs, but fully understanding them too!” he added.
ATU offers flexible learning, which is perfect for balancing busy lives. Students can continue to work in their professions while growing and developing in their studies. For the January start date, all courses are part-time and either have an online or blended course delivery. Blended learning means attending some lectures on campus, but students will be made aware well in advance of the days they are required to attend in-person classes.
The flexibility of the course was key for me,” said Christopher.
“It was 100% online meaning that I could work full-time while also gaining a Level 9 qualification. All the lectures were recorded and as my role was shift work, I actually never watched a lecture live as I was working. I was able to watch it back and read over the notes at a time that suited me best, which was when I was off for 2-3 days following a series of shifts at work,” added Chris.
Chris even moved to Switzerland during his course to work on manufacturing COVID vaccinations with Moderna and was still able to complete his studies there.
Gary was apprehensive about balancing his course with his job of running his own construction business. However, he knew he needed to upskill and turned to ATU for the solution.
I knew I needed a flexible/hybrid learning style and the online part-time delivery of these courses suited me. I have 3 small kids and a business, but the support from the academics and my fellow classmates was great. I enjoyed the group assignments and being able to network with like-minded people in the industry. It is challenging balancing work, life, and study but it’s all worth it in the end,” he said.
Without studying the flexible courses specifically at ATU, both Gary and Christopher would not have been able to pursue their studies. As Gary said, whilst it can be a challenge to get the balance correct, it was all worth it in the end.
Atlantic Technological University has over 100 flexible learning courses now open for application for a January 2024 start. As a leader in flexible learning, ATU offers students the opportunity to study part-time through a variety of delivery modes such as online, blended, and on-campus learning.
Explore the ATU flexible learning course list here.
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