A LIMERICK company has launched a new programme to encourage more students, particularly young women, to study and pursue careers in engineering.
SL Controls, with offices in Castletroy National Technology Park, is one of Ireland’s leading Equipment Systems Engineering firms. It has now developed ‘ECubers’, which aims to help foster the technical skills required for a career in engineering.
According to Shane Loughlin, co-founder of SL Controls, young women are seriously under-represented in the engineering sector at a time of growing career opportunities in Ireland and abroad.
Just six per cent of students who sat Engineering in this year’s Leaving Certificate exams were female.
Shane, who has over 30 years experience in Equipment Systems Integration, created and runs SL Controls’ ECubers programme to address the shortage of young people pursuing careers in the growing Engineering sector, particularly the lack of female representation in this area.
“Historically engineering is seen as a male-oriented subject that leads to a career in Civil or Mechanical Engineering. Very little has been done to explain to young people how Engineering has evolved over the last 20 years and the range of exciting career opportunities that now exist for both men and women in the field,” he explained.
“From our pilot workshops we have found that ECubers has been very successful at introducing the concept of a career in Equipment Systems Engineering and it is evident that much broader awareness is needed if we are to maximise the potential of attracting young people, especially young women, to study Engineering.”
SL Controls employs a team of over 50 engineers and has announced 20 new engineering positions by early 2017. Keen to foster the top engineering talent, they hope to rollout ECubers to primary and secondary schools across Ireland over the coming years.
by Alan Jacques
