IBM, the US computer giant, said yesterday it would give £1 million worth of computers and services to Dublin City University. The donation would help the increasing numbers of school-leavers opting to study computing at DCU, the company said.

The president of the university, Dr Danny O'Hare, said co-operation between industry and the education sector represented the way forward in addressing the skills shortage in the software industry.

IBM senior vice president and group chief executive, Mr Bob Stephenson, said the company had maintained a strong relationship with Irish schools and colleges over many years.