Graduates emerge from Ireland’s first Masters in Global Business Services

A new Masters in Global Business Services programme celebrated its first graduation ceremony last week. The first programme of its kind in Ireland, it is focused on future-proofing Ireland as a Centre of Excellence for Global Business Services.

Niall Collins TD, Minister of State at the Department of Further Education, Research, Innovation and Science, attended the awards ceremony at the Pfizer Innovation Centre in Ringsend to acknowledge the achievements of the first graduates in the MSc in Global Business Services (GBS).

The graduates, all Pfizer employees, completed their studies with Technological University Dublin.

Collaborative partnership

The programme was developed through a collaborative partnership between Skillnet Ireland, IDA Ireland, Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet, TU Dublin, The American Chamber of Commerce Ireland and companies within the sector.

Minister Collins congratulated the students at the event, noting the importance of the GBS sector to the Irish economy: “Ireland has more than 40,000 people working in over 200 GBS sites. The Irish Government, Skillnet Ireland, IDA Ireland, and businesses in Ireland have a long history of partnering with global corporations to add shareholder value and drive success. Ireland offers any global business a unique combination of benefits, not least a highly skilled, knowledge-based economy delivering quality, highly productive employees with excellent technical, language, managerial and customer service capabilities.”

Minister Collins, who presented the students with the awards, added: “Your success in graduating from this programme is ensuring Ireland continues its reputation as a centre of excellence for Global Business Services.”

Talent development instrumental to success

Padraic O’Neill, Site Lead at Pfizer Global Financial Services, said: “Talent development is instrumental to organisational success, and we recognised the benefits of the Global Business Services learning pathway for our colleagues. As Pfizer works to meet its purpose – breakthroughs that change patients’ lives – our team provides critical support in so many areas. The adoption of learning programmes has already delivered significant and meaningful benefits for the organisation, and we look forward continuing our engagement with the programmes for our colleagues.”

New stream of talent to drive innovation and growth Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Mark Jordan, Chief Strategy Officer, Skillnet Ireland, said: “Today’s ceremony marks an important next step in the development of the Global Business Services sector in Ireland. This industry-led programme has been designed and developed by Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet and delivered by TU Dublin. Having access to the best talent in global business services will have a substantial impact on the Irish economy and will protect and grow foreign direct investment in Ireland. This Masters builds a new stream of talent to drive innovation and growth in the Global Business Services sector. It builds on our reputation as a leader in GBS while offering graduates a rewarding career path here in Ireland with some of the best companies in the world.”

Dr. Eoin Langan, Dean, Faculty of Business, Technological University Dublin stated: “The most important benefit from the GBS Skills Pathway is that it provides employees in GBS with a significantly enhanced professional development pathway. The collaboration between TU Dublin and the Hackett Institute ensures that the GBS programmes support learners and employees to commit to professional development in the context of the sector and position themselves for career progression.”

Dr. Langan also paid tribute to Paul O’Reilly of TU Dublin and Gerry Doyle of Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet who were the main architects of the programme.

Apply to join a programme

Applications are now open for the next iterations of the programme which commences in September 2022. Learn more at www.ictskillnet.ie.