Live CAO Deadline Q&A runs from 3pm-5pm on 27 and 28 January, ahead of the main CAO deadline of 1 February on both www.wit.ie/cao and beat102103.com/cao
Regional radio station Beat 102-103 and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) are teaming up to co-host a live CAO chat that will appear on both websites ahead of the looming CAO deadline.
Thanks to technology from Cork company Pubble, visitors to both WIT and Beat websites will see the exact same live CAO Q&A forum. Parents, school leavers, and mature students can post questions (anonymously if they wish), which are answered by WIT academics and admissions staff. People can also browse previously answered questions.
“Our main focus is helping school leavers make the right decision for them. By hosting a Q&A session on Beat’s website we can help students across the region make the right decisions ahead of the CAO February 1st deadline,” said Registrar of WIT, Dr Derek O’Byrne.
“We first used this technology when we ran an online Q&A on the WIT website about the new Internet of Things course last summer. We again ran three sessions in August after first round offers had been made to help CAO applicants make the right choice,” he explained.
This is WIT’s first media partnership for its series of Live CAO Q&As. The majority of graduates from WIT, which has more than 70 courses on the CAO, are from the counties that Beat broadcasts to.
“Beat 102-103 is really excited about teaming up with WIT for its latest CAO Q&A session. As the market leading station for 15-34 year olds in the South East, it makes perfect sense that the leading college in our broadcast territory is availing of the opportunity to reach out to our 155,000* adult listeners weekly. At Beat, our audience regularly gets in touch to tell us about their concerns when faced with all the various education options available to them. It can be extremely stressful so this live Q&A session will hopefully help to dispel any fears and will instead provide many students with practical information that they hadn’t thought about previously,” said CEO of Beat 102-103, Gabrielle Cummins.
In January Beat relaunched its website with a new focus on mobile and tablet usage. It is accompanied by a new logo and together, they reflect the changes in the radio industry and a move towards multi-platform broadcasting. With the biggest Facebook following of any radio station in Ireland, Beat has already asserted itself as one of the country's most popular media brands online and the website will only help to build on that.
Using an online Q&A means that people can use a form of communication they are comfortable with – online messaging to ask questions. These are then delegated to a staff member specialist in that area to respond. Traditional means of contact are also welcome. “Teachers can also contact our Schools Liaison office to arrange school visits. Parents, school leavers, and people thinking of going to college are welcome to contact us at any stage,” added Dr O’Byrne.
Courses on offer at WIT range across the whole spectrum from Architecture, Arts, Psychology and Law right through to traditional areas such as Health Care, Business, Science, Engineering and Computing, meaning students in the South East have lots of choice on their doorstep.
The new technology has other benefits. “Last week when our exam results were released, our exams staff were on hand to answer questions online. The pubblebot – an automated function within the technology - also answered questions for students by finding information on the WIT website and posting links,” explained Dr O’Byrne.
WIT is also running open evenings in the coming months. On 23 February the college will have an open evening for adults interested in going to college in September 2016. Mature students (over 23s) applying to the majority of courses at WIT have two options. They can fill out the CAO form before either 1 February or the late application deadline on 1 May. However those applying for WD027 BA (Hons) in Music or for any of the three nursing courses (WD816, 817 and 820), can only apply by 1 February.
On 5 April, there will be a CAO open evening for anyone who has applied for a course through the CAO, or considering their next steps in education, or looking for a fresh start.
Visit www.wit.ie/cao and beat102103.com for the Live CAO Q&A on 27 and 28 January from 3-5pm.
ENDS
Media contact: Elaine Larkin, PR Executive, [email protected] 051-845577/087-7438838
Recent press releases: www.wit.ie/pressreleases
WIT news: www.wit.ie/news
Upcoming events: www.wit.ie/events
Notes to editors
* Adult listenership source: JNLR/Ipsos/MRBI South East Region 2015-3
