A mere 12 per cent of engineers are women, while 16 per cent of the profession's graduates are female, an Engineers Ireland report has revealed. And diversity is critical, Google director of engineering Dave O'Connor told an event unveiling the report - "otherwise we're just a bunch of white-haired middle-aged dudes".
O'Connor added that often a silent person is the smartest person in the room, and admitted that the gender gap issue is "a long game - there are no quick wins here".
Launched to mark Engineers Week 2018, which runs until March 2, Engineering 2018 highlighted that very few engineering employers have been specifically targeting the recruitment of female talent, which has the potential to help overcome the engineering skills shortage that is still hampering industry in Ireland.
Biggest challenge facing the profession
Speaking at the unveiling of the report, Engineers Ireland director general Caroline Spillane said one of the biggest challenges facing the profession continues to be bridging the gender gap.
“With just 12 per cent of engineering professionals in Ireland currently female, women very much remain an untapped resource in the sector. Most of society’s biggest challenges will require interdisciplinary solutions and the combined mind-power of women and men working together. It is very much in the engineering profession’s interests that we better bridge this gender gap to harness the abundance of skills that are now the hallmark of our female graduates.
“In education, there have been some very positive developments in this regard in the Junior Certificate,” continued Spillane, “where last year the majority of those taking higher-level science and mathematics were girls.
"There have also been encouragingly similar trends in the Leaving Certificate, so the challenge now for the entire profession and for engineering education nationally, from primary to third level, is building on this to convert girls’ burgeoning interest in STEM subjects into more women engineering professionals - which is what the country badly needs to sustain economic recovery.”
The Engineering 2018 report was unveiled at Engineers Ireland's offices at 22 Clyde Road, as part of Engineers Week 2018, and included a panel discussion involving Trayc Keevans, global FDI director at Morgan McKinley; Dave O’Connor, director of engineering at Google; Keith Greville, associate director at Arup; and Professor Brian MacCraith, president of Dublin City University and chair of the STEM Education Review Group.
Skills needs of multinational companies in Ireland
In addition to the gender gap in engineering, topics covered included the importance of STEM subjects to society, the skills needs of indigenous industry and multinational companies in Ireland, engineering innovation and the future of the sector nationally and internationally.
Prof MacCraith said the quality of an education system couldn't outperform the quality of its teachers. He outlined how there were a shortage of qualified second-level teachers in the STEM subjects, and that it was an urgent problem that needed to be addressed. "You can train for up to six years and at the end of it, there is no guarantee of a job. That has to change, kids are smart, they'll go elsewhere," he said. He welcomed the fact that computer science was now a Leaving Certificate subject.
'We don't want rabbits in the headlights'
Google's O'Connor was fascinating as he talked about the interview process at the company. "We have a very high technical bar, but we also want people who will collaborate and show a strong entrepreneurial spirit. They may see an insoluble problem but are then able to do something constructive about it. We don't want people who are rabbits in the headlights. In an interview we want to know who you are - I'm not going to even read your transcript," said O'Connor.
Morgan McKinley's Keevans explained how there were 180 IDA companies employed in Ireland, contributing €4.2 billion to the country's exports, and how they employed a huge number of engineers. "A total of 42 per cent are actively engaged in R&D; the breadth and choice of engineering sectors is better than it's ever been." She cited Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and cloud computing.
She said software engineers form the bedrock of many new areas: "The medtech sector is flying, as is the automotive sector, what with autonomous driving and electric vehicles; brewing is also doing well, with distilleries popping up. Certainly it is a good time to be an engineer," she added.
Arup's Greville elaborated on how he gained key new skills while based abroad and that it stood to him when returning home. He said that he worked on a number of subway projects while based in Toronto and that he wasn't the only one with metro project experience who has returned to live in Ireland. Delivering a metro system in the capital is doable as people have the skillsets now, he added.
About Engineering 2018
The first in a new annual series, Engineering 2018 is a new barometer report developed by Engineers Ireland for the engineering profession in Ireland, capturing trends in engineering employment, perspectives and education.
The report this year was based primarily on three surveys conducted between October 2017 and February 2018 with qualified engineers, engineering employers and the general public. These findings were complemented by Engineers Ireland analysis of data collected by key government agencies and public-sector bodies, including the CSO, the HEA, the State Examination Commission and SOLAS.
Engineers Week is co-ordinated by Engineers Ireland's STEPS programme and funded under Science Foundation Ireland’s Discover programme Call. The annual campaign aims to promote engineering as a career choice and the importance of the profession to Ireland. Engineers Week 2018 features more than 780 events nationwide involving 75,000 participants and runs until March 2.
To access the Engineering 2018 report in full, visit
www.engineersireland.ie