Either curse the darkness or light a candle
24th February 2010
‘A good education is a wonderful thing, but a good education without a job is hollow.’
The future of Ireland is jobs. Ideally, those jobs will be fit-for-purpose to meet the demands of an enduring FDI base as well as future entrepreneurial efforts. And that’s why the engineering sector offers a kaleidoscope of opportunity for people who want choice in their lives.
But to succeed in engineering means succeeding in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects. The worrying news is that Ireland is merely average globally when it comes to maths. News that 48pc of post-primary teachers of maths in Irish schools do not have a maths teaching qualification, according to the University of Limerick, is worrying.
Some 80pc of engineers in Ireland believe that a compulsory qualification for maths teachers would significantly boost the country’s second-level maths performance.
Striving for the best for Ireland
John Power, director general of Engineers Ireland, an organisation of more than 24,000 engineers in all walks of the profession, from electrical and electronic to software and civil, says that the profession wants the best for the future of Ireland and part and parcel in that is jobs for the people of Ireland.
But Power warns that in recent years the lure of the false economy of property saw an inordinate number of bright and articulate young people take the wrong advice from guidance teachers and pursue oversubscribed subjects, like law.
“A good education is a wonderful thing, but a good education without a job is hollow. The ideal would be to match a good education with a good job and contribute to the economy.”
A link between Europe and America
Power continues: “If one looks back, we benefited greatly from FDI. Our young, educated workforce was articulate and provided a bridge between the US and Europe. These companies are still with us and we need to utilise those advantages.
“But the FDI pie in the world today is not huge and is being shared with other countries. The number of jobs that can be created are going to diminish, so where does that lead us?
“We can either curse the darkness or light a candle. We have to begin to create our own indigenous jobs and have our own competitive advantage.
“If you think about the Government’s smart economy document – it focuses on competitiveness, innovation, the green economy, infrastructure and efficiency. If you take the five pedestals together, each and every one of those is underpinned by engineering.
“If we get this right, we can become much more productive as a nation. We have to have engineers who can commercialise R&D and provide input on innovation, cost competitiveness and efficiency. If anything, we need more engineers in the country. To do this we need to start biasing the education system to address the challenges this country faces in the future.
“There is no point having a good education system but no job. We need a step change in maths literacy. It is therefore very important that maths is taught in a way that doesn’t put kids off or scare parents but emphasises the real, day-to-day value of good maths teaching.”
By John Kennedy
Photo: John Power, director general of Engineers Ireland
