Students Starting To See Benefits Of A Career In Engineering And Technology, According To Engineers Ireland

Wednesday, August 15, 2012: The attempts by industry and Government to impress upon students the benefits of a career in the engineering, science and technology sectors are starting to reap rewards, according to Director General of Engineers Ireland, John Power.  

He was speaking as the Leaving Certificate 2012 results were announced and ahead of the first set of CAO offers which are likely to show an increase in the points requirements for many college courses in the engineering, technology and science areas.

And with a significant increase in the number of students sitting the higher level Leaving Certificate maths paper also this year, Power said students are starting to recognise the real career possibilities in emerging sectors of the economy.  “The likely increase in CAO points in many areas of engineering, science and technology this year shows that students are now recognizing the benefits of a career in these areas.  The bonus points now on offer are also a factor.”

“However, maths competence is the bedrock upon which qualifications in these sectors are based.  Our survey last week of members of the Irish Maths Teachers Association (IMTA) indicated that that over three quarters of maths teachers believe that industry has a vital role to play in explaining the real-life applications of maths.  So it is now imperative we build on the growing interest in certain engineering disciplines and the sciences to do all that we can to ensure students have the requisite maths skills to meet this demand for graduates in expanding areas of our economy,” said Power.

Engineers Ireland is extending its free maths tutorials in Dublin to centres in Cork and Galway from September 29.  Students interested in registering for the free maths tutorials in Cork, Dublin and Galway should visit steps.ie <http://steps.ie> .

Notes to editors:
Engineers Ireland is one of the largest representative bodies on the island of Ireland, with almost 24,000 engineers.  The membership incorporates all disciplines of the engineering profession in Ireland across industry, the public service, semi-state organisations and academic institutions.