ESB has taken Engineers Week 2014 as an opportunity to tackle Ireland’s engineering talent shortage and encourage more young people – particularly women – to consider the various opportunities a career in engineering can offer.
As part of the week-long series of events, ESB deployed a national ‘Egineering Squad’ to over 100 schools across Ireland. With 135 volunteers from ESB taking part, this was one of the largest-ever volunteering programmes undertaken as part of Engineers Week and included school visits as well as tours of power stations in Dublin Bay, Ardnacrusha, Turlough Hill and Erne.
The idea is to promote engineering to schoolchildren around the country, from junior infants to Leaving Cert level. As well as this first-time initiative, ESB International continued its Women in Engineering programme, a three-day transition year event to highlight the role of engineering in society, the diversity of work available to engineers and the impact of maths and science in everyday life.
Women in Engineering
The 2014 programme was opened by ESB’s deputy chief executive Brid Horan on Tuesday 11 February. Horan started off by giving the 16 students from schools around Dublin an insight into her career as an engineer. The girls also met with recent graduates, who filled them in on college life for engineering students, and saw demonstrations from working engineers.
The students also participated in a K’nex challenge to build a wind turbine, made a visit to Turlough Hill hydro-electric plant and built model trucks with a representative from Anyone 4 Science.
Jacinta Ryan, business strategy director at ESB International discussed her career and success as an engineer with the girls, and John McSweeney, ESB’s head of innovation, visited the group to discuss disruptive technologies and challenged them to come up with an energy solution that will change the world.
Find out what the girls thought of their experience on the Women in Engineering programme and if it has changed their attitude towards a career in engineering in the video below.
Women Invent Tomorrow is Silicon Republic’s year-long campaign to champion the role of women in science, technology, engineering and maths
