Engineers Ireland’s STEPS Engineering Your Future programme for students has been made accessible online this year.
Today (6 May), Engineers Ireland launched a new initiative called STEPS Engineering Your Future @ Home. It consists of a three-part series of videos and challenges designed to engage transition-year students in the opportunities available in an engineering career.
This is the eighth year of the STEPS Engineering Your Future programme, which is funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the Department of Education and Skills, and industry partners Arup, ESB, Intel and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
The programme is normally held every spring and places participants in third-level institutions around the country for an immersive, practical experience.
However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s programme will instead take the shape of accessible videos for the 1,100 students who applied for the 2020 programme, as well as those hoping to learn more about engineering at third level and as a career.
The first video of the series is now available. It was developed with Mark Langtry, head of science and sport at Explorium, and looks at the topic of electrical engineering.
The electrical engineering challenge asks students to design a novel communication system at home, before the deadline of Friday 15 May. The next two videos, which will focus on product design and sports engineering, are due to launch next week.
Director general of Engineers Ireland, Caroline Spillane, said: “It is our hope that this series will bring engineering to life in homes around the country and spark a curiosity in students which may encourage them to pursue further education and a career in this sector.
“An engineering qualification offers a chance to do extremely rewarding work, enhance people’s lives and explore almost limitless career opportunities. We have seen this particularly in recent weeks as engineers from across Ireland have come together to deliver healthcare solutions and devise new medical innovations in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic.”
“As a small island nation, we are dependent on the quality and quantity of our STEM graduates,” Spillane added. “It is therefore critically important that we engage young people and inspire them to pursue further study and a career in engineering, so that they too can be equipped to innovate and respond to societal needs in the future.”
Each video challenge in the STEPS Engineering Your Future @ Home programme will include opportunities to win prizes and all those who partake will receive a certificate of participation.
