Athlone Institute of Technology is once again partnering with Midlands-based companies to help them fill their digital marketing resource gaps using final year students’ knowledge of cutting-edge digital marketing methods as part of an innovative ‘live’ capstone project.

The hugely successful initiative, which is now in its second year, gives the students the chance to work with real businesses, helping them set and achieve strategic digital marketing goals all the while gaining invaluable, hands-on, industry-relevant experience.

“We designed this programme with the digital needs of industry firmly in mind. There is a significant skills gap and not enough technically adept graduates to drive the digital needs of businesses forward,” Louise Murray, marketing lecturer at Athlone Institute of Technology, explained.

The digital marketing capstone project tasks students with bringing an idea quite literally ‘from conception to execution’ with full buy-in from their client.  Mark Lynch, a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Digital Marketing programme who worked with Henshaw Eyewear – an up-and-coming eyewear brand worn by Shawn Mendes among other celebrities, credits the capstone project with giving him the edge when it came to applying for jobs.

“Working with a real business - helping them set and achieve strategic digital marketing goals – gave me invaluable, industry-relevant experience to add to my portfolio. It gave me huge confidence that I’d been equipped with the skills, competencies and experience necessary to carve out a successful career in digital marketing,” the now inbound marketing associate with Dot Dynamic in Co Longford, said.

This year, 10 companies, out of a pool of 70, have been selected to participate in the programme. Among them, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, McGargles Beer (River Rye Brewing Company), Neueda Technologies, Shannonside FM, Athlone Golf Club, Kingsize Big and Tall, Seery’s Cash and Carry, the Hodson Bay Group, Athlone Chamber of Commerce and Steripack Ireland.

“We’re delighted to team up with Athlone Institute of Technology to enhance our digital marketing activities and amplify our communications. The digital marketing capstone project is a really fresh, innovative idea that allows students to gain that industry-relevant experience while still at college and in return offers high-quality solutions to local businesses,” Alejandro Muñoz Espiago, director of technology with SteriPack Ireland, said.