Engineers Ireland, Microsoft, SFI tool up for Engineers Week

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Pictured: Caroline Spillane, Engineers Ireland; Joanne Morrissey, Microsoft Ireland; and Ruth Freeman, Science Foundation Ireland

1 March 2017

The Irish public will get the chance to explore the dynamic world of engineering at Engineers Week 2017, which kicks off this Saturday.

Running from 4-10 March, engineers from all over Ireland will showcase their profession to young people, highlighting the amazing ways Irish engineers are pushing the limits of ingenuity, creativity and innovation.

“Engineers Week is a chance for parents and young people to find out more about the many career opportunities available within the engineering sector and learn about the kind of skills that qualified engineers can build on as they move through their careers,” said Caroline Spillane, director general, Engineers Ireland.

“There are often narrow views and misconceptions about the ‘type of person’ who should pursue engineering, so it’s fantastic to be able to see the diversity and ingenuity first-hand of the young engineers that work here in the Microsoft European Development Centre, who are problem-solving and innovating on a daily basis.

“We are now really looking forward to the whole schedule of Engineers Week activity over the week which will involve businesses like this, schools, colleges and industries all over Ireland opening up their doors to showcase the exciting world of modern engineering,” she continued.

Dr Ruth Freeman, director of strategy & communications, Science Foundation Ireland, said: “Science Foundation Ireland is delighted to be supporting Engineers Ireland and Engineers Week 2017. These initiatives enable us to engage with young people and inspire them to consider further study and a career in STEM. Encouragement in the classroom in these early years has the potential to spark a curiosity that could be the foundation of a lifelong interest or career.”

Joanne Morrissey, HR director, Microsoft Ireland, said: “Ireland is one of the few locations around the world where every aspect of our business is represented, so we look for people with a broad range of backgrounds including engineering. We recently announced the creation of 600 jobs – 500 at our new Inside Sales Centre in Dublin and 100 across our existing operations.”

Now in its 11th year, Engineers Week is an annual campaign to inspire the next generation of engineers and excite students about the possibilities a career in engineering can offer. More than 666 events and 57,684 participants have already been confirmed for the week.

For more information visit www.engineersweek.ie.

TechCentral Reporters