NCI Blog

Top 5 Reasons to Invest in Staff Training and Development

Posted by Emma Henderson on 06 February 2015
In tough economic times, staff training and development budgets are often the first to be cut. It’s easy to see why this happens – training costs money, and the return on investment might not be immediately obvious. It can be hard to secure buy-in from senior leadership. However, as most HR managers know, investing in the personal and professional development of staff can be key to an organisation’s success. If you’re struggling to build a business case, keep reading for the top five reasons that employee training and development is an investment worth making. Greater productivity: a highly skilled and educated workforce will perform to a higher level and be more productive long-term. This can give your company the competitive edge and have a direct impact on your bottom-line. Morale and motivation: training is key to job satisfaction and employee engagement. Engaged workers are happy and productive; disengaged workers are disruptive and can be a negative influence on other staff. Attract and retain the best people for your business: opportunities for professional development are perceived as a benefit and can help you attract, and keep, good staff. You will increase your talent pool and decrease your staff turnover costs. Nurture tomorrow’s leaders: with the right encouragement and support, your staff of today will become your leaders of tomorrow. Without that forward planning, you will have to look outside to meet your leadership needs. Create a learning culture: by encouraging your staff to continuously learn and develop you can create a culture of learning in your business, and foster collaboration and innovation at all levels.
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Pitching A Masters Course To Your Employer

Posted by Robert Ward on 04 February 2015
To progress in your career you may decide the time is right to look at part-time Masters courses.
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How Has Mobile Technology Improved Your Life? #MLW2015

Posted by Emma Henderson on 04 February 2015
You don’t have to be studying or working in the area of mobile technologies for it to have had a huge impact on your life. (Although if you do want to get into this field, we can help – check out the MSc in Mobile Technologies at National College of Ireland, or learn more about working in this exciting industry). In support of UNESCO’s Mobile Learning Week 2015 (23-27 February) we are asking our students to consider the positive impact of mobile technology on your lives. The theme of this year’s week, which is UNESCO’s flagship ICT in education event, is empowering women and girls - and so we are asking our female students in particular to consider the benefits of mobile technology and how it has changed your life for the better.
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Exploring Ireland as an International Student: Kun's Night Out

Posted by Owen Barnes on 04 February 2015
Kun Qion, from China, tells us of her experiences at the infamous Childline Concert in Dublin's 3Arena. One of the reasons why I chose Ireland as my destination for studying in Europe is that a large proportion of my favourite music artists are actually Irish – Jedward, The Corrs, Westlife, Boyzone and, of course, Bono. As one of their biggest fans, I have been busy keeping up to date with their news by watching videos of interviews and performances.
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Insight into Accountancy: Stephen’s Story

Posted by Emma Henderson on 02 February 2015
Do you want to start a career in Accounting and Finance? NCI can help!
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Studying in Europe: A Trip to Dublin Zoo

Posted by Owen Barnes on 22 January 2015
Benjamin Wong, an international student of NCI, describes his experiences of Dublin Zoo I felt so delighted after spending an afternoon walking around Dublin Zoo with my friends today. It was a bright and sunny winter’s day, something that I have found to be a bit of a rarity during my time studying in Europe.
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Top 5 Reasons to do a Professional Development Course

Posted by Emily Ferns on 22 December 2014
In many industries these days, things are changing constantly and, to keep yourself up-to-date on the latest practices, professional development courses may be a necessary step. For a lot of people the thought of going back to college might seem like too big a time commitment and some probably think it’s just too costly to consider. But it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom.
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Ready, Steady, Webmas: A Charity Appeal from NCI's Certificate in Web Development

Posted by Owen Barnes on 17 December 2014
On the 17th December, teams of students from NCI will spend just 24 hours designing, developing and deploying websites for charities Today, the 17th of December, marks the second year of a twenty four hour charity appeal – Webmas – run under the auspices of Sam Cogan, a lecturer in NCI's School of Computing. In his running of the Certificate in Web Development course last year, Sam convinced fifteen students from his classes to take part in Webmas 2013; Webmas 2014 has now reached forty participants.
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Katie Says Farewell to NCI

Posted by Emily Ferns on 10 December 2014
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Top Ten Rules of Successful Sales Negotiations

Posted by Emily Ferns on 04 December 2014
David Malone, Associate Lecturer on NCI's Diploma in National and International Selling, shares his tips Sales professionals need to be well versed in the art of negotiation skills these days as more and more people are researching online before they commit to a purchase. As an employer, you will want to know that once that crucial sales meeting has been set up, your sales team will deliver a win-win situation.
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