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More Irish women taking up engineering

Wednesday, February 27 10:47:49

Women are beginning to recognise the opportunities a career in engineering can offer, a report launched by HRM Recruit today has found as part of Engineers Week 2013.

The research in association with Engineers Ireland, of 2,064 engineers in January and February of 2013, revealed that, while men still outnumber women in the engineering profession, the tide is changing with 50pc of female respondents under 35 years of age or younger.

The report also found that nearly 40pc of all engineers surveyed are with their employers for more than eight years, indicating the durability of an engineering qualification. Of the engineers who got a pay increase in the last three years, nearly two thirds said they were in the 26 - 35 age group, showing that young engineers entering the profession have the scope to earn well and advance quickly.

The report, entitled 'Engineering Perspectives', was launched today by Minister for Small Business, John Perry as part of Engineers Week 2013.

Minister for Small Business, John Perry TD, said: "Engineers create many of the things which improve our quality of life on a daily basis and I am delighted to get the chance to commend Ireland's engineers for the contribution they make to our society and to launch this research today. From my perspective as Minister for Small Business, I see many small indigenous engineering firms in this country, making a significant contribution in terms of jobs and tax revenue, as well as through the service they provide, be it in the field of chemical, civil, electrical or mechanical engineering. We need to ensure that we continue to take steps to satisfy the industry demand for engineers by companies of all sizes operating in this country. This year's Engineers Week will do much to encourage students to consider engineering as a career, so I wish Engineers Ireland on-going success in this respect."

John Power, Director General of Engineers Ireland, said the HRM Recruit report showcased the changing face of engineering in this country. "The 'Engineering Perspectives' report gives us a keen insight into the evolving engineering profession in Ireland. On average, the ratio of men to women in engineering was 9:1 whereas a fifth of all respondents in this survey are women. And of these, half were under the age of 35. We see this as a very positive signal that more women are now choosing a career in engineering as they recognise the variety of opportunities available to them in critical areas such as technology, energy and life-sciences. It is heartening to see that programmes like our STEPS schools outreach programme is producing results."