Taking a broader view of the engineering, manufacturing and construction sector, and the levels of programmes on offer, it is estimated that between 6,000 and 9,000 students of engineering graduate each year in Ireland, writes Dr Richard Manton, former registrar, Engineers Ireland.

Broader engineering, manufacturing and construction sector

National statistics on higher education are provided by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) based on returns from HEA-funded institutions. In 2022, there were 85,645 graduates across all fields, levels and institutions (Table 1).

Engineering is included in the ‘engineering, manufacturing and construction’ grouping based on the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) Fields of Education and Training. In 2022, there were 9,265 graduates from engineering, manufacturing and construction programmes, representing 11% of all graduates.

The above figures contain a wide variety of programme levels and disciplines. In Table 2, the ‘engineering, manufacturing and construction’ field was analysed by detailed field of study, some irrelevant fields were removed (eg architecture) and grouped as ‘broad disciplines’.

Engineers Ireland accredits programmes at the following National Framework for Qualifications (NFQ) levels: Higher Certificates (Level 6), Ordinary Bachelor degrees (Level 7), Honours Bachelor degrees (Level 8) and taught Masters (Level 9). The data in Table 2 is restricted to these four levels.

Engineers Ireland accredited programmes

While Table 2 indicates that there are approximately 6,000 graduates from Level 6-9 engineering programmes each year, this is judged to be a significant overestimation of the number of graduates from Engineers Ireland accredited programmes.

To refine this estimate, all higher education institutions which deliver Engineers Ireland accredited programmes were requested to supply graduate data for 2022 and 2023 and an estimate for 2024. Table 3 shows this information grouped by broad discipline.

There were 2,727 graduates from Engineers Ireland accredited programmes (Levels 6-9) in 2023 and this is expected to rise to 2,995 in 2024. As TU Dublin (mechanical) and TUS Midlands are excluded, the true number of 2023 graduates is in excess of 3,000.

This half of the figure derived from HEA data, while is unsurprising as the HEA data includes many courses which would not be in scope for Engineers Ireland’s accreditation.

Comparing the 2022 percentage shares in Table 2 and Table 3 shows that the HEA data significantly underestimates the number of Chemical & Biomedical graduates. Nevertheless, the HEA data may provide useful trends for the broader engineering, manufacturing and construction sector.

Focusing on the Engineers Ireland data, it is positive to note the increase in the 4% increase in the number of graduates from 2022 to 2023 and the expected further 10% increase to 2024. Particularly strong growth (20%) is expected among mechanical and manufacturing graduates, rising from 906 graduates in 2022 to 1,125 in 2024.

In 2023, there were 1,730 graduates at the Chartered Engineer and Chartered Engineer with further learning accreditation standards (NFQ Levels 8 and 9), or 63% of graduates from accredited programmes. Meanwhile, there were just 97 graduates from engineering technician programmes.

How many engineering graduates are there each year in Ireland?

There were about 3,000 graduates from Engineers Ireland accredited programmes (Levels 6-9) in 2023 and this is expected to rise by approximately 10% in 2024.

Taking a broader view of the engineering, manufacturing and construction sector, and the levels of programmes on offer, yields an estimate of 6,000-9,000 graduates each year. Engineers Ireland’s annual Engineering Barometer report provides further information on engineering education, employment and skills needs.

To find out more about Engineers Ireland’s accredited programmes, to volunteer as an accreditation assessor or to arrange a campus visit or parchment presentation, please visit the Engineers Ireland accreditation webpage or contact accreditation@engineersireland.ie. 

Author: Dr Richard Manton is a former registrar at Engineers Ireland.