THERE is a great buzz in the four-year-old Regional Technical College in Tallaght, Dublin, according to Dr Michael Ahern, head of the college's department of applied science. In the beginning there was a huge challenge in getting the place off the ground" and today, he says, there is "an ambience and a light here that would suprise you."
There is "a significant buzz about the place," according to Ahern. In the applied science department this is due to a sense of anticipation about the start next year of its fourth-year programme which will allow students, who are deemed eligible, to continue their studies for an add-on honours degree.
Currently 24 students are studying for a national diploma in science (chemical analysis) at Tallaght RTC. In the past any student who wanted to study further had to leave the college after completing the diploma year and go to another college to get a degree. All this will now changing and there is a sense of pride and anticipation among those who work in Tallaght.
The diploma course produces technicians who are expert in chemical, chromatographic and spectrophotometric analytical techniques. They need to be capable of performing analytical techniques/process development in a quality-conscious manner as well as being able to participate in the design and validation of these methods and processes.
Graduates of the diploma course work as chemical analysts within the pharmaceutical, chemical, food and biotechnology industries, as well as in local and national scientific agencies and research institutions.
Since it opened, the college which became an independent third-level institution in 1993 has developed into a vital place of learning with up to 1,500 full-time and 1,200 part-time students. The RTC offered national certificate courses to its first crop of students in its first year in existence.
THERE were 80 first-year students in the applied science department that first year. In 1994/1995 they were offered the chance to study for an add-on national diploma.
Next year eligible students within the applied science department will be introduced to a fourth-year programme allowing them to study for a Hons BSc in applied chemistry. The degree course will build on the practical skills which students have obtained at diploma level and add a more comprehensive theoretical understanding.
"We didn't have a degree available for the previous two years," says Ahern. Although the degree course was validated last year, he explains that "we decided to take the year to prepare the syllabuses and the laboratory work and the projects". The college, having decided to wait until next September before it offered students this degree year, is now gearing up for a new tier of students.
The current class of third-year students will now be able to avail of this degree year. John McDonagh, from Kilnamanagh, a post-graduate researcher working in the applied science department, was one of the college's first crop of first-year students. To have been able to carry on after third year and study for his degree would have been "very nice and very handy," he says. Instead, after being awarded his national diploma in science, he had to go to Athlone RTC to study for his degree.
"The great thing about RTC Tallaght," he says, "is all the equipment. We have almost everything." This hands-on experience was of great benefit. The course's method of on-going assessment was equally beneficial, he says.
Another post-graduate student in the applied science department, Taryn Kinahan, from Palmerstown, is of the same opinion about the college's access to lab equipment. "Definitely, it was a great help," she says. "It's a great college. I found the lecturers were very, very friendly. Because it was new they all went out of their way to help the students fit in."
Last year at the beginning of the current school year, the national certificate in science at the Tallaght RTC attracted 124 students into first year. "We're finding that we are generally well subscribed to in science," says Ahern. There has been an increase in numbers, because, he says, "we're seen on the land". The success of the course, he says, is indicated by the high level of employment achieved - up to 95 per cent.
A major part of the success of the applied science course has been the acceptance by employers of the national diploma in science as an important qualification. There is a take-up rate to date of up to 95 per cent of its graduates.
An example is provided by Proctor & Gamble in the United States. The multi-national pharmaceutical company takes on about 30 graduates in any one year. In its last recruitment drive it took in 15 Irish graduates, seven graduates of Tallaght RTC
The focus of the diploma course, says Ahern, is to produce graduates who have a thorough grounding in analytical chemistry techniques and in the use of analytical instrumentation. There is a close link between the college and industry employers, he says, and as part of this on-going link, a comprehensive survey was issued by the college to 140 companies in order to determine the specific needs of industry.
THE SURVEY found that employers ideally want a balance of academic, practical and personal effectiveness skills in Applied Science graduates. The importance of traditional areas of chemistry was highlighted as was the importance of personal effectiveness skills such as the ability to critically analyse experimental data, to work in a quality conscious environment and to present results in a clear a coherent manner.
A good working knowledge of commercial software packages was also desirable. The course programmes have been designed to produce graduates with these qualities.
Ahern sees the certificate and diploma years as being part of "a four-year degree course with two exit points." Some students will leave after completing the two-year national certificate programme. Others will remain and study for a national diploma and now they will be able to carry on and study for a degree in science, concentrating on chemical analysis.
Applicants needed 270 points last year to gain entry to first year Science.
