An Irish campaign to promote engineering to youngsters kicks off soon, with hundreds of events on around Ireland.
The push for greater STEM interest at youth level continues in Ireland as Engineers Week kicks off on Sunday, further adding to what has become a national priority.
The employment opportunities right across science, technology, engineering and maths makes prioritising areas such as coding, computer applications, pharmacology and engineering a no-brainer.
During this planned week, themed ‘Engineering is for Everyone’, hundreds of events will be taking place around the country to inspire the next generation of engineers.
A clear divide
According to the Engineering Perspectives 2013 report, the ratio of men to women in engineering is 9:1. That figure was further underlined yesterday when Regina Moran, president of Engineers Ireland and CEO of Fujitsu Ireland, claimed just 8pc of Engineers Ireland members are female.
“We must find ways of attracting girls and boys to join forces with us and tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges,” she said.
In an effort to achieve more gender balance, Engineers Ireland is placing an emphasis on highlighting engineering as a profession suited to women and men equally, with Moran visiting schools up and down the country to promote the cause.
More than 1,000 volunteer engineers, too, will be going to schools nationwide to help students understand what engineering is all about. Local authorities, libraries, academia and industry will open their doors to host activities that provide an insight into the diversity of engineering in Ireland and demonstrate the way in which engineering is all around us.
A broad base to start from
“Ireland needs more engineers to remain competitive on a global scale and to develop the country’s resources, infrastructure and growing industries,” said John Power, director-general of Engineers Ireland.
“Engineering is for everyone; that is the message we need parents, teachers and students to hear. A quality inherent to all engineers is that of curiosity, to solve problems and challenge the status quo.
“With over 70 types of engineering and 20 types of common engineering disciplines there is a something for all interests and talents, from aerospace to agricultural, electrical to environmental, civil to chemical and more. I encourage as many people as possible to attend the events and explore the engineering around us.”
Engineers Week runs 8-14 February.
Dr Ciaran Simms, associate professor at Trinity College Dublin, with Luke Joyce (4). Photo via Naoise Culhane
Inspire 2015 is Silicon Republic’s international event running 18-19 June in Dublin that connects sci-tech professionals passionate about the future of STEM with fresh perspectives on leadership, innovation and diversity. Buy your early bird tickets now!
