Issue 3
Meet Cleo Devaney, Marketing and Student Recruitment Manager, IT Sligo It’s an exciting time to work in Marketing and Student recruitment as we transition into the new technological university (TU). For the marketing side, it presents challenges but also great opportunities. Each of our institutes will be working collaboratively on the new brand and positioning ensuring it is reflective of our own unique offering and resonates with our student population. There is a wealth of positive sentiment towards the introduction of a TU in our region, from industry, guidance counsellors, parents and educators. With Sligo becoming a university town, this will help attract and retain talent and encourage future generations to invest and remain in the north-west region. With a strong background in digital marketing, I joined the IT Sligo Marketing department initially focusing on marketing the suite of Online Learning programmes. This included the development and rollout of a new brand and nationwide marketing campaigns to help raise the profile of IT Sligo Online Learning in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Since then, I have progressed to the role of Marketing and Student recruitment manager, working with a team of 6 dedicated marketing professionals, who can turn their hand to anything! We work across graphic design, publications, social media marketing, events management, school engagement and much more. We focus on building and maintaining relationships both internally and externally with key stakeholders, such as guidance counsellors, parents and post-primary educators. We also stay connected with industry partners to ensure our course offering meets the skills demand in our region. From academic programme videos and virtual school visits to live virtual open day events, our reach has now expanded, as evidenced by a 32% increase in CAO applicants in 2021. We also work closely with our current students and have a dedicated student ambassador programme, encouraging students to be advocates of the IT Sligo educational experience. This year, we are offering our ambassadors the opportunity to earn a digital badge, in recognition of their contribution to marketing and student recruitment.
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WORKING TOGETHER TOWARDS A TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
