Work Ready Graduate Programme employer case study with Hibernia College

“Because the cost of employing the graduate was shared between Hibernia and the Work Ready Graduate Programme, it was seen as a low-risk way to explore a new field without making significant investments or diverting resources away from our day-to-day operations,” explains John Lenehan, Digital Learning Team Manager at Hibernia College.

Digital Learning Team Manager John Lenehan at Hibernia College

“The quality of candidates we received through the programme was phenomenal. Learnovate led the recruitment process, which meant that the people sent for an interview were already operating at a high level. We had two graduate places – one in generative AI and the other in data analytics. When the graduates started with us, they got up and running very quickly and were delivering for us from the get-go.”

Based in Pearse Street in Dublin, Hibernia College delivers flexible blended programmes in primary, post-primary and inclusive and special education, master’s programmes in education and corporate governance, and a range of professional development courses. The blended learning model combines online study with in-person workshops, allowing learners to fit their studies around other commitments.

John describes the graduates’ impact as “transformative” for the college’s operations – by helping the team understand how generative AI could be practically applied to the production of digital learning materials, and, most significantly, by providing insights into when and for how long students were engaging with online content.

“Initially, the graduates did a lot of research for us on potential applications of AI-generated graphics, video, and cloned audio. That ultimately led to a more widespread adoption of AI across our digital learning team,” says John.

“However, their greatest impact was in helping us gain a deeper level of insight into how students were engaging with our content. The graduates worked on extracting key data from our digital learning environment system to understand how students were engaging. The findings provided data points we didn’t have before and should allow us to better optimise how we deliver and evaluate digital learning content, as well as help us identify students who might be struggling. That would be really transformative.”

John hails Learnovate’s continued engagement with both Hibernia and the graduates throughout the year-long placement. “It wasn’t a case of them handing off these people and disappearing. Learnovate had a genuine interest in the placement being mutually beneficial to both the host organisation and the graduates. There was a good amount of oversight, with monthly check-ins and short professional development courses for the graduates. Overall, I’d say it was an extremely positive experience,” says John.

He continues: “We’ve been part of the Work Ready Graduate Programme for two years and we’ve found the candidates to be technically very capable. More than that, we’ve been impressed by how proactive and driven they are, and by their ability to work independently. They’ve also been an excellent fit from a cultural perspective and have slotted in seamlessly with our tight-knit team.”

Funding

The Work Ready Graduate Programme is supported by funding from Enterprise Ireland. Up to 70%  of the costs are subsidised with the company paying the remaining 30–50%.

Find out more

Find out how to join the Work Ready Graduate Programme as an employer: How to hire a Work Ready Graduate?

Learn if you are eligible to apply for the Work Ready Graduate Programme as a graduate: Am I eligible for the Work Ready Graduate Programme?