Sustainability, future technologies and tackling the climate crisis through engineering will all feature across a number of events throughout Engineers Week 2020.
Engineers Week kicks off tomorrow (29 February) and the week ahead promises to be full of excitement, showing people how engineering can change the world.
Engineers will always be in demand and there are so many different routes to take within engineering that the possibilities are endless. But does everyone know about those possibilities? Are children and students and even young professionals aware of how broad engineering is and how they can carve out a career within such a thriving industry?
Luckily, Engineers Week rolls around every year, with many fantastic events across the country that shine a light on the career opportunities available to budding engineers of all types.
1. Engineers Week Family Festival
To kick off the week, four family fairs will take place across Ireland over the weekend. Dublin will have a variety of events on both 29 February and 1 March at Engineers Ireland HQ in Ballsbridge. Galway’s fair will take place in NUI Galway with a number of events on Saturday 29 February.
Cork and Sligo have fairs on Sunday 1 March, with Cork’s fair taking place at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience, and Silgo’s engineering fair taking place in IT Sligo. All fairs will have a range of performances, interactive displays, workshops and demonstrations for all the family to enjoy.
2. Engineering your Future
Transition year is a crucial time for students deciding about what their next steps will be and what they might consider doing as a career. With this in mind, Engineering Your Future will take place in TU Dublin Blanchardstown, Dublin City University and ESB during Engineers Week.
This immersive engineering experience programme gives transition year students a hands-on, fun and practical insight into engineering at third level and as a career. During the programme, students will attend interactive talks and presentations, get hands-on experience with group-based activities, visit local industry and meet engineers at various stages in their careers.
3. Events in the Explorium
Another exciting event for transition year students is the STEPS Girls’ Summit: Exploring Engineering and Climate Change Solutions at Explorium in Dublin. In advance of International Women’s Day, Engineers Ireland will host an event for 100 female transition year students, where they will discover their role in the climate crisis and what they can do to help in the fight to save the planet using engineering solutions. The event will take place on Friday 6 March.
The Explorium’s Engineering Challenge will also take place throughout Engineers Week, giving attendees of all ages the chance to discover the role engineering plays in our everyday lives through a series of tasks that challenge the mind and body.
4. A gathering of oversees engineers
While it’s important to show the next generation what an exciting career in engineering could look like, it’s also important not to neglect the professionals who are already in the field.
With more than 37pc of Engineers Ireland’s members coming from overseas, the organisation’s membership team will be hosting a Global Engineers event in Clyde Road on Monday 2 March to assist new international engineers, primarily Brazilian engineers, with their careers in Ireland.
5. Launch of the Engineering 2020 report
Wednesday 4 March marks World Engineering Day and, specifically, it’s the first World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development.
To mark this, Engineers Ireland will launch the Engineering 2020 report, with the major theme being around sustainability and the future skills needed for the industry. The report will be important for both current and future engineers and more details can be found here.
In addition to many more events taking place during Engineers Week 2020, Intel has once again teamed up with Engineers Ireland to encourage and inspire the next generation of engineering talent in Ireland by engaging with primary and secondary school pupils through a number of key initiatives, including the Young Engineers Award, a competition for primary school pupils.
Engineers Week is a celebration of a vital industry and one that will always require creative and innovative talent to solve problems, build solutions and create better ways of doing things. Click here for more information about the variety of events taking place.
