• Ireland ranks 34^th of 36 OECD countries for gender balance among engineering graduates
• Engineers Ireland STEPS programme hosts over 100 female transition year students to promote career possibilities in sector to mark International Women’s Day
• Positive signs for future engineering talent pipeline as girls comprise the majority of students who sit Junior Certificate higher-level papers in both science and mathematics.

Ireland ranks third last of thirty-six OECD countries in terms of gender balance among engineering graduates, it has been revealed in a new report launched as part of STEPS Engineers Week 2020.

It was found that most female engineers (56%) feel that the engineering sector in Ireland has better opportunities for men than it does for women, a view shared by the majority of Irish adults (57%). OECD figures also indicate that in Ireland just 14% of bachelor’s graduates from engineering-related programmes are women, compared to the top performers such as Iceland (42%), Poland (40%) and Sweden (37%), with the OECD average 25%.

Positive developments in the Engineers Ireland report, ‘Engineering 2020: A barometer of the profession in Ireland’, however were that girls comprise the majority of students who sit Junior Certificate higher-level papers in both science and mathematics (51%).  Overall, at Junior Certificate level, 35% of higher-level STEM subject sittings (excluding science) are by female students, an increase of four percentage points in the past five years. For the Leaving Certificate, 44% of higher-level STEM sittings are by girls, again an increase of 1.7 percentage points in the past five years.  However, this proportion is skewed by the number of female students taking higher-level biology (63%) and chemistry (59%).  Just 28% of higher-level physics students are girls, the report stated.

Speaking at Engineers Ireland’s STEPS Girls’ Summit involving over 100 female Transition Year students at Explorium, Sandyford to mark International Women’s Day, Marguerite Sayers, President of Engineers Ireland, said: “Bridging the gender gap must be a key driver in engineering and wider STEM education in Ireland.  While it is encouraging to note an increase in the numbers of girls taking higher-level Junior and Leaving Certificate STEM papers, the reality is we are still behind the curve in Ireland. The Government’s STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026 aims to increase by 40% the number of girls taking STEM subjects – and the drive to bridge this gender gap and achieve this target must be a joint government, industry and academic effort.  It is vital we foster more career opportunities in the engineering industry for our ambitious and talented female students, as well as tackling the engineering skills shortfall that continues to hamper key economic sectors in Ireland.”

Supported by Engineers Ireland’s Diversity Group, the STEPS Girls’ Summit: Exploring Engineering and Climate Change Solutions event in Explorium today staged engineering workshops and panel discussions for the 100 young female students present, and involved keynote presentations from other senior female engineers such as Victoria Janssens, a Senior Structural Engineer working in the Buildings Engineering Group of Arup Dublin, and Suzanne Meade, a Road Safety Specialist at Transport Infrastructure Ireland.  The students learned about the issues facing engineers through a range of interactive and fun experiments and investigated engineering solutions that can build sustainable solutions to safeguard humanity.

“I was inspired to go into engineering by an event much like this one and now, 30 years later, I am still involved in an industry that has offered me tremendously diverse and rewarding roles throughout my career. The goal of STEPS Engineers Week, and events like this one, is to create a life-long interest in engineering by capturing the imagination of young people, especially women.  It is my hope that each of the panel members who have joined me here today can inspire more female students to considering a career in engineering, much like how I was inspired a number of years ago”, Ms Sayers added.

Now in its 14th year, STEPS 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.  Over 950 Engineers Week events and activities have taken place across STEPS Engineers Week 2020 (29 Feb – 6 March) to inspire the next generation of engineering talent in Ireland. The initiative is coordinated on a national basis by Engineers Ireland's STEPS programme. STEPS is supported and funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the Department of Education and Skills and Industry leaders ARUP, ESB, Intel and TII.

To access the Engineering 2020 report in full, visit: https://www.engineersireland.ie/Professionals/News-Insights/Campaigns-and-policies/Reports/Engineering-barometer