THE jobs market is very good for engineering graduates and there is a brisk demand for people with two year certificate and three year diploma courses from the DIT/RTC sector as well as for those with engineering degrees.
The growth in demand for electronic engineers and electronics technicians has already been referred to in an earlier column. But there is a tendency for school leavers to think that because of the expansion in the electronics industry that the increased demand for engineers is mainly for those with electronic engineering qualifications.
This would be a mistake. The demand for mechanical and production engineers and those with chemical engineering qualifications, for example, is also buoyant. Indeed, after computing and electronics, other engineering disciplines may represent the next biggest area of expansion in graduate job opportunities.
Some argue that the world is run by engineers and certainly it is the ideal qualification with which to enter the expanding world of industry and technological development.
Mechanical engineering
The demand for mechanical/ manufacturing/production engineers is very brisk. They are employed across industry and courses in this area are probably still the main training area for technological careers. About one third of all engineers have this background. But there is a sense in which mechanical engineers increasingly also deal with electronics.
Marlborough Recruitment, for example, reports big demand for people with electro mechanical diplomas. This change is reflected in DCU's new hybrid degree in mechatronics.
Electronic engineering
This is the buoyant end of the jobs market at the moment and it accounts for another third of engineers. The demand for both degree level and cert/diploma level graduates is very high with employers competing to hire available graduates. Indeed it appears there is a net shortage of people to fill available jobs.
Chemical/Process engineering
The jobs situation is very good here though it represents a much smaller segment of the engineering jobs market. There are two main courses, in UCD and RTCs Cork, and both are equally highly regarded. Chemical engineers have retained "a very strong position in the jobs market" according to Finbar Callanan of the Institution of Engineers in Ireland. RTC Cork reports that girls are doing very well in chemical engineering.
Civil/Structural engineering
These represent about one sixth of all engineers and while the jobs situation is good these areas have not been enjoying quite the same boom as electronic/mechanical/chemical engineering.
But prospects are thought to be good as a huge programme of road building, public transport and other infrastructural work will be undertaken thanks to EU structural funds. "The medium and long term prospects are extremely good," according to the Institution of Engineers.
Other disciplines
Agricultural engineering skills are in strong demand available at degree level through UCD and cert/diploma at RTC Tralee while Polymer Technology at Athlone RTC is doing well. There are not a large number of jobs in aeronautical engineering in Ireland, but UL's graduates seem to do quite well nonetheless.
Girls
The proportion of girls coming into engineering is still very low, yet everyone this column approached thought there are good opportunities in engineering for women graduates and that girls who go into engineering do very well indeed. Indeed female engineers may do better in the jobs market as employers are keen to be seen to operate an equal opportunities policy.
Girls may still be inclined to see engineering as a dirty kind of business, whereas the reality is that they are more likely to be wearing white coats and overseeing complicated computerised equipment. Engineering is the main technological entry into industry and is the principal training ground for people aiming for Junior management jobs.
Maths
The dreaded Higher maths is seen by many as a barrier to an engineering degree. It is true that to get a place on an engineering degree students must have a minimum of a Higher C in maths UCD requires a Higher B. But there are ways around this.
The DIT and Ballyfermot Senior PLC College, for example, have preliminary engineering courses. These cater for who do not have Higher level maths and allow for transfer onto the engineering degrees of the DIT.
UCG and Athlone RTC also run special maths exams in the autumn for people who have not managed the Higher C achieving the relevant results in these colleges' exams is accepted as an alternative to the Higher C but only for degrees in that particular college. DIT may run such an exam this year.
And don't forget that Ordinary level maths is all that is required for the DIT and RTC diplomas and certificates in engineering. It is possible to advance to a degree from these courses through the follow on degree options.
Indeed, certificate courses in engineering/electronics offer some of the best options in the RTC system in that entry points tend to be quite modest, yet both the further study and job opportunities are very good.
Choosing a course
The UCD/Trinity omnibus entry approach may suit such students in that they simply apply for a broad general engineering degree and specialise only at the end of year one (UCD) or year two (Trinity). The very significant drawback is that second year places are allocated according to first year exam results so the student may not manage to get a place in the discipline of their choice.
The denominated approach of UCC and UCG, on the other hand, allows the student direct entry into electronic, mechanical or civil engineering.
UCD undoubtedly has a formidable reputation across the engineering disciplines and has terrific facilities in its new engineering building. UL has a great concentration of practical industry related engineering/technology degrees including those with non engineering titles such as electronic manufacturing and manufacturing technology and is very strong in electronics.
UCC has the largest civil engineering department in the State and specialises in micro electronics. DCU is highly specialised in electronics and the DIT courses at Bolton Street are well connected with the construction/ building industry.
UCG's industrial engineering degree dovetails very well with the jobs market. Trinity has the advantage of allowing two years before specialisation is required. DIT Kevin Street, unlike many colleges, offers degree specialisation in electrical as well as electronic engineering and has a strong electronic technician department.
At RTC level, all of Cork's engineering degrees have formidable reputations, particularly in chemical engineering. Athlone has cornered the market in polymer or plastics engineering and Waterford has a large engineering department with cert/diplomas in four disciplines and a degree in electronics.
Cert/diplomas in all branches of engineering right across the DIT/RTC spectrum are well worth considering and the range of follow on degrees is growing.