NCI Blog

Business Analysts play a key role in developing solutions and ideas to improve the performance of businesses. With COVID-19 currently reshaping businesses and livelihoods, becoming a Business Analyst will give you the opportunity to demonstrate the value of your analytical skills and the contribution you can bring to your employer.

Students starting their third-level education this September have already faced the massive challenge of finishing their second-level studies during a global pandemic.

At National College of Ireland, we have a number of courses available under both Springboard+ and Human Capital Initiative (HCI) which are free of charge for people who are currently unemployed or for 10% of the course fee for applicants who are in employment. These initiatives address skills shortages in the workforce and so are funded by the government to improve Ireland's ability to fill job vacancies.

Many of our prospective students are curious about what online learning might look and feel like as they commence their college careers during a time of global pandemic, which limits the amount of on-campus time they can enjoy.

The Student Counselling and Wellness Service at NCI works to ensure students get any help they might need with their academic, personal or professional difficulties during their time studying with us. The team share their top tips for coping with the transition to college life below.

Making the decision to return to education is an important one that will have a significant impact on your life. It’s a considerable commitment, particularly if you choose to study part-time in the evening while working during the day, but the sacrifices you make while studying will be rewarded in the long-term when you reach your career goals.

The start of the college year for new, undergraduate students this September will be like no other. Distance learning will continue at NCI for current and new students through semester one (subject to ongoing review) as online delivery of lectures will be a significant part of the timetable for the majority of students to ensure the safety of our learning community.

On a normal working week, home visitors from Early Learning Initiative’s ParentChild+ programme bring the gift of playtime into homes across Dublin’s inner city by providing disadvantaged families with the educational materials they need to encourage their child’s early learning and development. Research tells us that a child born into poverty is more likely to start school without the basic knowledge and skills they need to keep up with their peers. One factor of future academic success is a positive and nurturing home-learning environment. By providing families with educational support early in the child’s life we can help to give that child the best possible start.

In June 2023, The Government announced 11,000 free and subsidised higher education places under both Springboard+ and Human Capital Initiative (HCI) which includes a number of specialised computing courses in data analytics, cybersecurity, software development, blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning at National College of Ireland.

After completing her Leaving Certificate in 2015, Leanne Kelly felt that going straight to college was the right thing for her. However, she soon realised that joining a course she was unsure of in a big college wasn't working for her so she took a break from studying before starting her psychology journey at NCI in 2017. At that stage, she knew she had made a step in the right direction.