There has never been a better time

There has probably never been a better time to qualify as a civil engineer or a civil engineering technician. The construction industry is booming and billions of pounds are going to be pumped into road, public transport, water and waste treatment, and social and affordable housing, under the terms of the National Development Plan.

Professor Philip O'Kane of UCC says the jobs market has never been better. "Consulting engineers are stopping me in the street and asking exactly how many graduates we will have this year. This has never happened before." Meanwhile, employers are also phoning Sligo IT (which offers cert, diploma and add-on degree programmes), saying they need more people than the college can produce, says James Hanley, head of the department of the department of civil engineering and construction studies.

In all, four universities and 11 institutes of technology offer civil engineering courses.

UCC offers a four-year degree in civil and environmental engineering. Last year's final cut-off registered 475 points. There are 60 first-year place for school leavers. An additional five places are available to mature students and transferees from the institutes of technology. School leavers must have a minimum of a higher-level C3 in Leaving Cert maths. NUI Galway also has a direct-entry civil engineering degree.

O'Kane says the key attribute school levers should possess is an interest in making things. Civil engineers are usually involved in large-scale projects - in fact, they are involved in making the largest man-made objects on the planet, for instance, the three gorges dam in China. Of course, the irony is that engineers rarely make things themselves - they tend to be designers and project managers. A certain minimum maths ability is also needed as most courses are maths-based, says O'Kane.

If you go the IT route, beginning with a certificate, then you won't need higher-level maths in the Leaving Cert. However, most colleges are agreed that students who have a D in ordinary-level maths will have serious difficulties completing the course. In fact, some lecturers feel a minimum of an ordinary-level B is required.

Points are lower for entry to certificate programmes. For instance, last year Sligo IT's engineering certificate admitted all qualified applicants. Hanley says the majority of students progress from a certificate to a diploma - they may do this directly if they do sufficiently well in their exams. Otherwise, they can acquire a year's relevant work experience and re-apply.

A proportion will continue their studies for a further two years - to degree level. The rewards for qualified engineers are much better, says Hanly. Students who go this route take five years as opposed to four, if they went directly from school into a traditional university programme. On the positive side, eligible students maintain their free fees and maintenance grant entitlements throughout the five undergraduate years.

"When the course was devised initially the emphasis was on waste water and the environmental area although there is also a substantial highways content. We intend to increase the highways component in view of the employment demand," he says.

O'Kane says consulting engineering firms would be the first job of choice for most UCC graduates. These jobs afford graduates the widest range of experience. They also work in local authorities, public utilities, airports, or the transportation system. "The whole infrastructure of the country is run by engineers. We have added an environmental option. Students spend two common years and then they can choose from a range of options . . . UCC is the only college which offers building services (the internal environment) within civil engineering," he says.

When choosing a course, as always, points, geography and finance are important factors. Another consideration should be your interest in and knowledge of a particular specialism. If, for instance, you know you'd like to do engineering, but are unsure if you'd prefer civil or mechanical or electrical, then you should apply for commonentry programmes (engineering degrees offered by TCD, UCD and NUIGalway) which allow you some time to make up your mind before you specialise.