Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), one of Donegal’s largest employers, has announced the launch of the 2023 UK and Ireland Sustainathon.
The event is a problem-solving competition that challenges university students to address corporate sustainability problems through innovative digital technology, creativity, and teamwork.
Registrations are now open for the 2023 Sustainathon, which invites university students to work alongside TCS and its partner network (via a virtual online portal) during a three-week sprint to devise digital solutions that can help businesses overcome their most urgent sustainability challenges.
“This is only the second year that the TCS Sustainathon has been available to students in Ireland,” said Andrea McBride, Head of TCS Global Delivery Centre, Letterkenny.
“Following the successful launch of the initiative in Ireland last year, we have been engaging with more third level institutions on the island of Ireland for this year’s challenge. It is great to see more students in Ireland getting the opportunity to learn about sustainability and digital technologies from industry leading experts.”
TCS is engaging with universities across the UK and Ireland, including Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and North West Regional College (NWRC), Derry, Queens, University of Ulster, Dublin City University (DCU) and University College Dublin (UCD) to launch the competition, as part of its ongoing commitment to promote STEM skills, nurture young talent and support sustainable enterprise.
TCS is inviting students, in teams of two to six people, to join the virtual masterclasses, which will be delivered by industry and academic sustainability experts. Participating teams learn about sustainability and digital technologies from leading experts while working on challenges set by some of the biggest organisations in the UK & Ireland.
This year, an Irish organisation, AIB life, will set one of the challenges for the UK & Ireland Sustainathon for the first time.
Jacquie Doyle, COO, AIB life said: “We’re delighted to participate in the TCS Sustainathon, an initiative that resonates deeply with AIB life’s core values. At AIB life, we firmly believe in being ‘Future Fit’ and our commitment to sustainability is at the very heart of everything we do. With our Sustainathon Challenge Statement we invite young innovators to reimagine how a better understanding of money; how and where to store it, spend it, grow it or borrow it, could empower them to become conscious consumers and lead to more informed decisions on money management. Improving financial education could have far-reaching consequences for individuals, communities, and our planet.”
The sustainability challenges, provided by TCS customers and partners, will be launched on 30th October and during the three weeks, students will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of sustainability, digital technology, and meet and learn from industry experts. The Sustainathon will culminate with the final judging event taking place on the 11th December when the winning team will be announced.
This year marks the first year that an Irish organisation, ESB, has been selected to join the judging panel. The judging panel will be comprised of representatives from the business community, a selection of not-for-profit organisations, and sustainability experts who are independent from the competition process.
For more information and how to register, please visit: https://www.sustainathon.tcsapps.com/events/ongoing/UKI2023
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