Institute of Technology, Sligo is pleased to introduce a range of new online part-time courses, designed to help address significant skills shortages in the project management and construction sectors in Ireland. The Institute’s Department of Civil Engineering & Construction is introducing a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management and a Masters of Science in Project Management, together with a range of special purpose awards which include a Certificate in Business Information Modelling and Lean Construction Management. The new online courses beginning in September 2017 are: MSc in Project Management Postgraduate diploma in Project Management Certificate in BIM and Lean Construction Management Certificate in Construction Law, Procurement and Finance and a Certificate in Strategic Construction Management The new MSc and Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management will seek to build on the current success of the Institute’s Postgraduate Certificate in Project Management (online) which has received positive feedback from industry. The new programmes include several electives to cater for various sectors such as construction, IT, science and manufacturing.  This enables the student to tailor his/her own project management masters for their particular sector. The programme has been designed to qualify students to undergo Project Management Institute (PMI) examinations such as Project Management Professional (PMP). “These new programmes have been developed in conjunction with our industry contacts to help address the shortage of project management skills being experienced in many industries,” explains Trevor McSharry, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering & Construction at IT Sligo, who was instrumental in the development of the new courses. “Having such a qualification will provide graduates with the key tools and techniques to take on increased responsibility of larger and more complex projects. The construction industry’s skills shortage in Building Information Modelling (BIM) has emerged as a key priority for industry professionals in recent years. BIM is the process of creating and managing information on a construction project across the project lifecycle with a key output being the digital description of every aspect of the built asset. “We are particularly excited about the Certificate in BIM and Lean Construction Management, which we envisage will have significant demand in the market place,” says Trevor. “As chair of the BIM North West Region, I see the digitisation of the construction sector taking hold and use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) increasing at a rapid pace. BIM enables 3D collaborative design and construction, which leads to a much more robust design as well as cost and schedule certainty.” The varying and complex nature of the construction industry has also led to an increase in demand for managers with the skills to analyse, manage and solve intricate problems that often arise on major projects. Designed to address this demand, IT Sligo has introduced a new part-time Certificate in Construction Law, Procurement and Finance. The external validation panel for IT Sligo’s new online courses was made up of both industry and academic experts from the construction and project management sectors. The new courses are scheduled to begin this September – and they build on IT Sligo’s established reputation as Ireland’s leader in digital (online) education. For more information on the new online courses, visit www.itsligo.ie or contact the IT Sligo admissions office. Email admissions@nullitsligo.ie.