{"id":6808,"date":"2019-01-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slcontrols.com\/why-ireland-needs-more-women-in-engineering\/"},"modified":"2021-10-15T09:50:57","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T09:50:57","slug":"why-ireland-needs-more-women-in-engineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slcontrols.k8s-stg1-global.sq1.io\/en\/why-ireland-needs-more-women-in-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Ireland Needs More Women in Engineering"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ireland needs more engineers today, with most people predicting this demand will go on long into the future. Therefore, there is a skills shortage that must be overcome and women are likely to be a key part of the solution.<\/p>\n

Just how bad is the skills shortage problem, though?<\/p>\n

The Skills Shortage<\/h2>\n

Let’s look first at how industries that require engineers are growing. According to Engineers Ireland, companies in Ireland will recruit as many as 6,000 new engineers during 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Let’s put this figure in context \u2013 there are only about 3,000 college graduates each year entering the workforce with engineering degrees and qualifications.<\/p>\n

Understandably, companies need an immediate fix to this problem. Those fixes include upskilling and reskilling existing employees. Another solution is to recruit engineers from other countries or entice Irish expat engineers to return home.<\/p>\n

The Gender Gap<\/h2>\n

According to an Engineers Ireland survey conducted last year<\/a>, 12 percent of engineering professionals in the industry are female while females make up just 16 percent of engineering graduates. This gender gap is particularly acute in sectors like manufacturing.<\/p>\n

Having this gender gap isn’t just bad because of the engineering skills shortage in Ireland \u2013 it’s also bad for companies. Research has found<\/a> that companies that have a gender balance that reflects wider society are more productive and profitable. Therefore, it\u2019s good for companies to recruit more female engineers.<\/p>\n

What Can Be Done<\/h2>\n

We all need to promote engineering as a career for women. This includes explaining the reality of working as an engineer to young female students \u2013 from primary through to TY students.<\/p>\n

At SL Controls, we work with companies in the pharmaceutical<\/a> and medical device manufacturing sectors<\/a>. As a result, our engineers help these companies develop and manufacture medicines and devices that save lives, more effectively treat medical conditions, and improve health outcomes for patients all over the world.<\/p>\n

Like other engineering careers, the skills required to work on these projects are broad ranging. Technical skills are necessary in addition to a range of other skills including:<\/p>\n