More students than ever before are applying for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses reflecting the growing demand for qualified graduates by companies throughout Ireland. This is the message from government and industry at the start of the national Smart Futures STEM Careers Week, taking place from 29 April to 3 May.
The week, coordinated by Discover Science & Engineering (DSE) – Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)’s educational outreach programme – highlights the opportunities available in these sectors and gives students access to industry representatives in an online forum.
Smart Futures – a part of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs – is an initiative designed to promote the uptake of STEM subjects and highlight the variety of career opportunities to second level students, teachers and parents. It provides students, teachers, careers guidance counsellors and parents with a range of free resources on the website www.smartfutures.ie.
Commenting on the launch of the Smart Futures STEM Careers Week, Prof Mark Ferguson, director general, SFI, said: "The opportunities available to students in STEM careers are second-to-none. In the last month alone we have seen medical devices company Nypro Healthcare announce 200 new jobs for Waterford.
"Ireland is the largest MedTech employer in the EU, with almost 25,000 employed in the sector. Other major employers of STEM graduates include ICT, software, pharma, social media and gaming companies."
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