Most weeks, our careers news round-up is all about jobs in STEM, and this one’s no different – we’ve just taken a slightly different approach. This week focused on STEM jobs: where you can get them, how you can get them, and what you can do to prepare for them.
As always, this week saw its fair share of jobs announcements, with pharma company Chanelle announcing 175 jobs in Galway, and smaller announcements coming from Aspira and Alert Logic.
Looking beyond the present day, a report from Enterprise Ireland showed that 90pc of high potential start-ups (HPSUs) in Ireland are looking to increase staff numbers this year, which should translate to 1,500 jobs.
Of course, big announcements aren’t the only way to find careers in tech or biopharma. Career Zoo – which will run on 20 February in the Convention Centre Dublin – can be a huge source of STEM jobs, even with companies offering them only one or two at a time.
With that in mind, we took a look at all the companies exhibiting at this spring’s Career Zoo and picked out 15 of the employers you don’t want to miss on the day.
It’s good, I suppose, that all of these STEM jobs are going to be out there, as new research from Career Zoo shows that an almost-incredible 70pc of Irish workers are thinking of, or hoping to, switch jobs this year.
While on the search for jobs, they’re going to have to beef up their LinkedIn profiles. Research undertaken by the social network revealed the top skills that got people employed during 2015, from cloud knowledge to languages.
Of course – and I’m loath to drag down the mood, but these are the sad facts – it has to be pointed out that women may have a tougher time getting any of these STEM jobs than their male counterparts.
A study into coding projects on GitHub has shown that women’s code is seen as better than men’s, but only if they hide their gender, showing more clearly than anything else the bias – unconscious or otherwise – facing women.
So that’s great news *waves sarcasm flag vigorously*.
At the other end of the careers spectrum, though, there’s potential for improvement. In recent weeks and months, the number of people calling for coding to be added to the school curriculum has mushroomed. This week, in an extensive opinion piece, Siliconrepublic.com editor John Kennedy added his voice to the debate.
A little further along the path to STEM jobs are STEM students and graduates, who are about to take their first tentative steps in the industry.
They may be lucky enough to find opportunities in the workplace at the GradIreland STEM Fair – taking place in the RDS on 16 February – an event that, incidentally, will involve Cyberlympix, a challenge event designed to support women in STEM.
And, finally, Stemettes continues to do great things for girls interested in STEM, this week launching a new app, OtotheB, which creates a global online platform guiding girls towards careers in whatever STEM career they’re drawn to.
For more information on any of these stories, follow the links below.
1. Chanelle to create 175 pharma jobs
Ireland’s largest indigenous pharmaceuticals manufacturer Chanelle Group is to invest €70m in a major manufacturing expansion supported by Enterprise Ireland that will result in the creation of 175 new jobs in Loughrea, Galway.
2. Irish start-ups plan a major hiring buzz over next three years
Research into Ireland’s current batch of high potential start-ups (HPSUs) shows that 1,500 jobs could be created by 2019, with indigenous entrepreneurs leading the way.
3. 15 employers you don’t want to miss at Career Zoo
With Career Zoo, Ireland’s leading recruitment event, fast approaching, we took a look at the line-up and picked out some of the big industry employers you don’t want to miss on the day.
4. 70pc of Irish workers want to change jobs this year
A new report from Career Zoo shows just how transient the Irish workforce has become, with the vast majority of people looking to move around.
5. LinkedIn reveals skills that got people hired in 2015
Cloud, data analytics and digital marketing were the top skills that got Irish professionals hired during 2015, according to LinkedIn. And it appears science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills will dominate hiring trends through 2016 and beyond.
6. Women face discrimination on GitHub, despite coding prowess
A new study looking into the number of coding projects approved on the software-sharing site GitHub has shown that women are considered better coders, but only if they hide their gender.
7. The rising digital tide necessitates coding education for all children
Failure to bake coding into the Irish schools’ curriculum means short-changing taxpayers and generations of students to come, according to John Kennedy.
8. STEM Fair to host Cyberlympix Women in STEM challenge
Ahead of this year’s STEM Fair in the RDS in Dublin, GradIreland is calling on greater participation from women graduates eager to break the mould.
9. Stemettes launches app to connect girl entrepreneurs globally
Stemettes, the organisation founded to encourage more girls into STEM is to launch its flagship app, OtotheB, to link interested girls with its work.
Looking for tech jobs in Ireland? Check out our Featured Employers section for information on companies hiring right now.
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