Located within the Queen’s Computer Science building, the studio is a dual-purpose space designed for hands-on training and encouraging students to put theory into practice. With a lecture theatre and collaboration space built in, the studio supports both undergraduate and postgraduate students completing software and computer-science related courses.

Part-funded by Allstate NI, the technology arm of US insurance company Allstate and NI’s largest IT employer, the Software Studio builds on Allstate’s commitment of supporting the next generation of technologists and developing the local workforce to meet future skills demands.

The facility was officially opened with a visit from Stephen McKeown, Vice President and Managing Director of Allstate NI and Zulfi Jeevanjee, Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Allstate Technology Solutions.

In Northern Ireland, the software sector contributes £1.7 Billion to the economy each year by employing approximately 23,000 people across 2,200 businesses. The latest figures published by the Department for the Economy reveal that in 2021, programmers and software developers accounted for almost half (45%) of IT professionals, and software development, software engineering, and Software as a Service (SaaS) are among the top 25 skills in demand across the IT sector in NI.

Professor Austen Rainer from the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Queen’s said: “The Allstate Software Studio is a significant addition to our facilities for educating computer science and software engineering students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is a distinct space, co-designed with Allstate, and unique amongst the facilities we offer; a space that encourages students to think differently and collaboratively, to prepare them for successful careers in the IT industry. We are delighted to partner with Allstate NI, as a major IT employer in Northern Ireland, on this facility.”

Stephen McKeown, Vice President and Managing Director of Allstate NI said: “The opening of the Allstate Software Studio at Queen’s University Belfast is a great step forward in our partnership with the education sector in Northern Ireland. It is a space that replicates the working environment graduates will move to once they complete their degrees, a collaborative space where they can be innovative and that will help their transition to the workplace. The discipline of software engineering, including app development, app efficiency and scaling, is a foundational part of our work at Allstate NI and we are committed to empowering students to excel in this area.”

Media

Inquiries to Una Bradley u.bradley@qub.ac.uk