LIMERICK, Ireland & PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With a goal of modernizing how computer science is taught through immersive learning, Transact, the leader in innovative payment solutions for a connected campus, today committed its support to the University of Limerick’s new Immersive Software Engineering (ISE) Program. As part of its commitment, Transact will participate in hosting ISE Program Residencies and will join the ISE Advisory Board, a coalition of global of leaders.
“There is no other program in the world like Immersive Software Engineering. The hybrid model, leaning heavily on learning while doing, will revolutionize software teaching and learning. Through its participation, Transact is transforming the educational landscape for tomorrow’s technology leaders,” said University of Limerick Foundation Chief Executive Officer Harvey Duthie. “The ISE goal is to turn curious, creative people into the best software engineers in the world. Software engineers enjoy incredible careers: they work all over the world, solving important problems working for the world’s best technology companies like Transact.”
Globally, the largest gender and diversity gaps in education remain in STEM studies. As a result, women are under-represented in the technology sector, despite the good employment opportunities and highly productive jobs this area provides. For example, in Ireland, women aged 25-34 are more likely to have a higher education degree than men,1 yet women represent just one-fifth of the total technology workforce.2
The University of Limerick’s new ISE program represents a new era of computer science education that aims to help close those gaps. In this innovative computer science course, students spend half their time learning with the best lecturers and researchers and half their time in paid placements called Residencies with world-leading companies, like Transact. ISE students will spend 40 weeks every year learning vs. the usual 24. They learn in studios working on projects, not in lecture halls, they never take an end-of-term exam, and they may earn a Masters qualification in four years, vs. five or six.
“The Transact Limerick team will empower Immersive Software Engineering’s focus on learning by doing, and community outreach in the context of equality, diversity, and inclusion,” said University of Limerick Head of Residencies for Immersive Software Engineering J.J. Collins. “It’s a privilege to have a partner on board with this level of expertise, deep local knowledge, vision, and enthusiasm. The future is looking delightfully brighter today.”
Transact has pledged to participate as a host of Student Residencies, beginning in 2023. As part of an overall commitment to increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in technology, Transact has pledged a major donation towards a scholarship that will prioritize students from diverse social and economic backgrounds. In addition, Transact leaders will collaborate with the ISE Advisory Board to help shape the program.
“The synergistic mix of studio-based learning and immersive residencies with industry leaders will equip tomorrow’s technology leaders with both the soft-skills and applied modern software practices to make them successful in their careers,” said Transact Senior Director of Product Development John Burton. “This innovative educational program is a game changer, and supporting it is a no brainer.”
Last November, Transact announced it would create 110 new jobs in Limerick City Centre and its next-generation digital campus in Limerick would serve as the company’s international headquarters. The company has made steady progress towards this talent hiring goal, with close to 50 employees now based at Transact’s Limerick office.
Learn more about the University of Limerick’s ISE Program and explore open Residencies at https://software-engineering.ie.
For more information about Transact, visit www.transactcampus.com, and follow Transact on Twitter and LinkedIn to join the conversation.
About Transact
Transact is the leader in innovative payment solutions for a connected campus. Its highly configurable, mobile-centric campus technology ecosystem simplifies the student experience across the full spectrum of student life. Transact’s offerings include integrated solutions for tuition and other student expense payments, multi-purpose campus IDs, and campus commerce. With a long-standing reputation of serving the higher education community, Transact proudly assists millions of students each year with its innovative products and solutions. For more information, visit www.transactcampus.com.
About University of Limerick Foundation
Established in 1989, the University of Limerick Foundation leads on all philanthropic income generation activities for the University of Limerick. More than €200 million has been raised to date to help develop what is now a world-class university and campus. www.ulfoundation.ie
About University of Limerick
The University of Limerick (UL) enjoys an unspoiled natural environment blended with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities. UL was awarded prestigious 5-star rankings for graduate employability, innovation and knowledge transfer, teaching, engagement, internationalisation and infrastructure by QS Stars independent assessors. With close to 16,500 students, including more than 2,000 international students each year, UL is a young and enterprising university with a proud record of innovation in education and scholarship. UL offers more than 70 undergraduate programmes across Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Education and Health Sciences, Science and Engineering and the Kemmy Business School. UL also delivers a strong postgraduate offering with more than 100 taught postgraduate programmes to Doctoral and Post-doctoral level. www.ul.ie
1 https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/good-practices/ireland/women-reboot-have-you-still-got-it
2 https://www.women-in-technology.com/wintec-blog/women-in-tech-by-country