A close up of a black Jaguar Land Rover with the ocean in the background.
Image: Jaguar Land Rover

Careers in automotive engineering: What you need to know

22 Jan 2025

With an impressive talent pool and manufacturing ecosystem, Ireland is in a strong position to become a major centre of excellence in automotive engineering.

There is an increasing need to reduce carbon emissions in the automotive sector, which means finding alternatives to fossil fuels. Additionally, the growth of technology means cars are getting more advanced features than ever before.

These two challenges make it an exciting time for those working in or looking to get into automotive engineering. In Ireland, a partnership between Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Atlantic Technological University (ATU) is working to ensure the country creates graduates who can directly address the demand for talent in this space.

Mark Gillen is a delivery partner at TCS. There, he manages a highly skilled team, which includes DevOps engineers, product owners, cloud engineers, enterprise architects and automation engineers, all working towards “delivering strategic outcomes” for JLR.

“As the automotive sector is moving through a huge transformation, supporting electric vehicles and software-defined vehicles, strong talent is a constant requirement to achieve market competitiveness,” he told SiliconRepublic.com.

“This partnership with JLR allows TCS to offer unique career opportunities for individuals who are passionate about technology and innovation and are seeking a career in a dynamic and highly evolving sector such as the automotive industry.”

A headshot of a man in a cream jumper smiling at the camera.

Mark Gillen. Image: TCS

The need for tech skills

In the past, the skills required in the automotive industry may have been more about manufacturing. Now, computing and cars have become more intertwined, making software engineering a critical skill for the industry.

Gillen said these skills are moving “centre stage” in a variety of areas, including advanced driver assistance systems such as adaptive cruise control, the development of self-driving cars, battery management in electric vehicles and connectivity for features such as real-time traffic updates and remote diagnostics.

And, as with all devices that connect to the internet, there is also a need for robust cybersecurity measures. “In essence, software engineering is at the heart of modern automotive innovation, driving advancements in safety, efficiency and user experience,” he said.

“To meet the evolving needs of the automotive industry, we see a combination of mechanical, electrical, electronics and computing intersect to offer hugely exciting careers for Irish graduates.”

For those who want to work in the industry, Gillen advises building skills, experience and knowledge in several areas, including embedded systems, particularly those specific to automotive applications such as engine control units and infotainments systems, as well as real-time operating systems and control systems.

They will also need cybersecurity skills, proficiency in AI and machine learning, familiarity with automotive communication protocols such as controller area network (CAN), local interconnect network (LIN), and ethernet, and expertise in testing and validating automotive software to ensure it complies with industry standards.

For those developing their careers in the industry, working on EVs specifically will play an important role for many.

Specifically, Gillen said software engineers working in this space will be focusing on battery management systems, vehicle control units, telematics systems, which provide remote data collection and diagnostics, and charging management software to ensure efficient energy distribution, as well as cybersecurity and advance driver-assistance systems.

“These areas are crucial for improving the usability, efficiency and overall experience of electric vehicles,” said Gillen.

Career opportunities and the talent gap

When it comes to specific roles that will be available in the automotive industry, the convergence of mechanical, material, electrical and computing engineering facilitates the growth of many specific roles.

These include battery engineers, electrical engineers, software developers with a focus on skills critical to the automotive sector, mechanical engineers, data analysts, cybersecurity specialists and mechatronics engineers – which combines mechanical, electrical and software engineering to develop integrated systems for EVs.

However, while the industry is in need of these skills, Gillen said both the education sector and the Government need to take strategic steps to address the talent gap.

This, he said, should include an update to educational curricula to include the latest technologies and skills relevant to the automotive industry, the creation of partnerships between educational bodies and industry players to give students hands-on experience and specialised programmes focused on automotive engineering.

At a Government level, he said creating “workforce development programmes” to train and upskill workers and investment in infrastructure that supports the industry, such as advanced manufacturing facilities and research centres, is needed.

The partnership between TCS, JLR and ATU seeks to address the current gap through a new bachelor of engineering honours degree in electric vehicle engineering.

“The course in ATU has been designed to allow graduates to work in the automotive industry or any industry that is embarking on the rapid transition to electrified propulsion, namely electric vehicles,” Gillen said.

“This course will cover technology associated with a wide range of vehicles, spanning across cars, public transport vehicles, goods vehicles and specialist industrial vehicles.”

“Course content includes modules focused specifically on the technical aspects of the electric vehicle from system operation and safe working to advanced diagnosis. This will be complemented with further modules in electrical and mechanical principles to broaden the understanding and ensure that fundamental engineering content is at the core of the course.”

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Jenny Darmody
By Jenny Darmody

Jenny Darmody became the editor of Silicon Republic in 2023, having worked as the deputy editor since February 2020. When she’s not writing about the science and tech industry, she’s writing short stories and attempting novels. She continuously buys more books than she can read in a lifetime and pretty stationery is her kryptonite. She also believes seagulls to be the root of all evil and her baking is the stuff of legends.

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