Call for 70,000 more engineers

The number of engineers must increase to safeguard the future of the economy, it was claimed today.

Engineering Ireland said it wanted the numbers in the sector to rise from 40,000 to 110,000 by 2020.

The group is launching a new programme, STEPS to engineering, to boost the awareness of the profession among students and parents.

“The critical message that we are delivering to students is that engineering is about creating the future and it is an exciting and personally fulfilling career, in an expanding and vitally important sector in the Irish economy,” said president Anne Butler.

The programme is intended to reverse the decline in supply of engineers to the Irish market. It will be launched today by the Minister for Education Mary Hanafin.