Bluebrick.ie is aimed at people who are interested in securing further qualifications on a flexible level. It allows users to compare courses conveniently and register online

The new website was developed by the 14 Institutes of Technology, and has already been nominated for a prestigious eGovernment award. 

The site offers information on hundreds of courses in various formats, including online courses, distance learning, or classroom, all of which are flexible, thereby allowing the user to find a course which will fit in with his/her lifestyle and availability. 

Bluebrick.ie has several key functions, all of which have been designed to be highly user-friendly:

• The search function allows visitors to simply enter their query on the home page.
• The advanced search option allows a more specific search such as institution, learning method, or location. 
• The comparison function allows visitors to save courses of interest to them, and compare them side-by-side, a crucial function to allow comparison of costs and duration of courses. 
• Online application is a core feature of the site, allowing visitors to conveniently and speedily apply online for any of the courses available. 
• A unique feature of BlueBrick.ie is the course recommendation system, which automatically generates recommendations for visitors which might be relevant to their needs.  

Commenting at the launch, Dr. Richard Thorn, Director of Flexible Learning, IoTI, said:

 “With such a challenging landscape still in existence for career development, BlueBrick.ie will offer users a convenient way to research courses that will fit in with any time schedules. This will allow those in full-time jobs to have the flexibility to attain further qualifications, and build a better future for themselves. 

“Our extensive research has shown that many individuals may feel that they have no way forward when considering their career options, and we encourage these people to ‘click the brick’ and see what courses are on offer through BlueBrick.ie.”

BlueBrick.ie was established by the Institutes of Technology Ireland as part of the HEA Strategic Innovation Fund project: Flexible Learning.