Two college students win US apprenticeship with global tech giant

May 14, 2019 – Park Place Technologies, a leading global provider of data centre hardware maintenance, has today announced the winners of its prestigious apprenticeship competition, in partnership with I Wish (Inspiring Women In STEM). This initiative is designed to teach young women more about career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Emma Brennan, from Cork Institute of Technology, and Amy Dolan from University College in Cork, both graduating in 2021, have been chosen from entrants across Ireland to win a 10-day externship with Park Place Technologies including an all-expenses paid trip to North America. The students will visit Park Place Technologies offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Cleveland, Ohio to work with mentors within the firm, gain insight into career opportunities and experience working in a technology business and participate in leadership training to develop their leadership and communication skills.  At the end of the placement, both winners will deliver a presentation to Management and C-Suite Executives.

Announced in February 2019 by Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland, Tánaiste Simon Coveney, the STEM competition was hosted by Park Place Technologies in partnership with I Wish (Inspiring Women In STEM). The competition was open to all college students aged 18 and over who had previously attended an I Wish event.

The lack of female participation in STEM means we are leaving 50% of our talent pool behind, says Jennifer Deutsch, Chief Marketing Officer at Park Place Technologies. “The opportunity for women in Irish and global STEM careers is unlimited.  As a leader in our field, we believe we have a responsibility to help address this imbalance and this is one of the key reasons why we set up this initiative in partnership with the IDA and I Wish.”

The judging process was incredibly difficult and many of the entrants would have been great ambassadors for Park Place Technologies. We look forward to meeting competition winners Emma and Amy and welcoming them into our offices. We are confident this initiative will foster STEM ambitions among Ireland’s young women.”

Caroline O’Driscoll, I WISH Co-Founder, commented “We were delighted to launch our I Wish alumni programme earlier this year, and this partnership with Park Place Technologies is our first exciting initiative. Each year we welcome thousands of girls to the I Wish events, but we want to continue to support these girls as they enter STEM courses in college and onwards into the workplace so that they remain connected to the I Wish family. Hands on experience in STEM with a global company is an amazing opportunity and I am sure that Amy and Emma will have an incredible experience.””

Amy Dolan comments: “I am honoured to have been selected onto this placement and the opportunity to gain valuable experience with a company that is so passionate about innovation. The theory you learn at college is of course important, but this will give me the opportunity to experience first-hand what a career in STEM is really like and I cannot wait to get started.”

Emma Brennan comments: “I’m so grateful to have been chosen as I can imagine the competition was fierce for such an opportunity like this. I am both nervous and incredibly excited and want to make sure I make the most of this unique opportunity. I hope I will look back on this moment in the years to come as the catalyst for my career in STEM.”

The STEM initiative further strengthens Park Place Technologies’ investment into Ireland’s technology sector, following the opening of its Operations Centre in Cork on 26th November 2018 with 10 staff, pledging to create 70 jobs in two years. Six months in, Park Place has around 20 staff employed at its EMEA Operations Centre in Cork, Ireland, on course to fulfil its initial job creation pledge quicker than anticipated.