Garrett Sherry is Vice President of Account Management for EMEA at Prometric, a leading global provider of technology-enabled testing and assessment solutions. Prometric have been supporting DCU since 2015. In this piece, Garrett explains why Prometric are proud to support DCU and how the company’s values align with the ethos of the university.Could you tell us a bit about Prometric and how you originally connected with DCU?
Prometric is a leading provider of technology-enabled testing and assessment solutions and services. The company was established more than thirty years ago and has been operating successfully in Ireland for over twenty years now. We help our clients provide reliable, secure assessments across a range of industries globally. Our mission is to help empower people as they work to realise their personal potential. In 2011 we set up a global operations hub in in Dundalk and came to know DCU through its connection with Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT). DCU had always placed a high level of importance upon science and technology, just as we do here at Prometric. Having discussed the science of assessment with DCU, and how technology can help to develop this, we felt that they would be a great institute to partner with as we position the company and our clients for the future.
When DCU began to develop plans around the Institute of Education, it was a natural fit for Prometric to support The Centre for Assessment Research and Policy in Education (CARPE) and to develop the Prometric Chair in Assessment to provide academic and research leadership in the area of educational and workplace assessment. As CARPE aims to shape the future of assessment policy across the educational system, we felt as an organisation that this would benefit not just Prometric, but also the industry as a whole from a broader perspective.
You mentioned that it was a natural decision for Prometric to support CARPE and DCU. Can you tell us about the benefits of your partnership with the university?
There are a number of benefits associated with supporting this project, both for Prometric and across the entire assessment industry. We, as an organisation are keen to assist and back high quality research, to advance continuous improvement and progress over time. The research carried out by CARPE is certainly of the highest standard and looks at areas of assessment from an interesting lens. The work has been important in improving certain concepts, for example examining remote assessment as an unprecedented number of clients have turned to this testing modality as a part of their overall strategy . This has become increasingly significant in this new work from home and test from home digital age, accelerated by the pandemic. This research has been crucial in supporting the wider assessment industry as a whole over these last two uncertain years. As for the wider education space, we are proud to support CARPE in their research to make decisions around policy for the Irish curriculum and testing procedures.
DCU’s mission is to transform lives and societies. Is that something that Prometric see as a common goal between themselves and the university?
Certainly, this is a core value for Prometric. Being a global business, we strive to provide equal opportunity to all and to give everyone a chance to change their lives through assessment. Be it a healthcare professional from one corner of the world looking to work in another country, to a young person taking a step towards further independence by siting a driver theory test in Ireland, we believe that access to assessment and testing has the power to enable people to reach their goals. We can see that equal opportunity is very important to DCU and again this aligns with our beliefs also. Giving everyone a fair chance to demonstrate their knowledge and skills is a pillar of who we are as an organisation.
