Damien Owens
Director General, Engineers Ireland
Ireland will require over 22,300 additional engineers over the next decade, a demand that highlights the urgent need for reform in our education system.
The finding comes from a report published by the Engineers Ireland STEPS programme,‘From Awareness to Action: Engineers Ireland advocating for engineering outreach.’ Itreveals critical gaps in Ireland’s current STEM education landscape, particularly how engineering is taught and promoted. Failure to address the shortage of engineering talent could threaten Ireland’s continued economic growth, delay vital infrastructure projects and hinder the country’s competitiveness in attracting foreign direct investment.
Gaps in education
The STEPS report revealed that engineering continues to be underrepresented in universities: just 9.8% of graduates in Ireland come from engineering disciplines, nearly half the global average. The gender gap is also stark: only 4% of female graduates come from engineering disciplines.
Limited visibility in the curriculum and inequitable access to STEM subjects are contributing factors: 68% of girls-only schools offer STEM subjects other than science or maths, compared to 96% of boys’ schools. Unlike professions such as medicine and law, engineering is less understood by the public, leaving it open to biases that can discourage girls from considering a career in engineering.
Failure to address the shortage of
engineering talent could threaten
Ireland’s continued economic growth.
Skills shortage
Earlier this year, Engineers Ireland’s barometer report, ‘Engineering 2025,’ highlighted recruitment difficulties within the profession, with 84% of engineering employers agreeing that there are plenty of job opportunities in the sector. A third stated that it had taken them six to 12 months to fill a vacant engineering position last year.
Cooperation and collaboration
Informed by 25 years of hands-on experience, the STEPS report offers recommendations that aim to close the gaps in engineering education, provide for a future pipeline of engineering talent to support the expanding workforce demands and ensure a more equitable and dynamic STEM future.
These measures include a centre of excellence dedicated to engineering outreach, the development of best practice STEM guidance, reforms in STEM curricula in schools and increased promotion of alternative pathways into engineering. This includes apprenticeships as a means of increasing the numbers entering the profession.
Meeting the growing need for engineering expertise in the years ahead will only be achieved with sustained cooperation, engagement, support and investment from both industry and government.
