Monday 5 October 2026
Global material-handling manufacturer Combilift has launched a new initiative aimed at encouraging young people to pursue careers in engineering and manufacturing, following a Manufacturing Day event attended by more than 100 fifth-year students (17-year-olds) and their engineering and technology teachers from across Co Monaghan.
The Future Engineers Award, launched by Combilift CEO and co-founder Martin McVicar during the event, will recognise any Leaving Certificate student in Co Monaghan sitting their examinations in 2027 who achieves a H1, the highest grade, in either Engineering or Technology.
The successful students will each receive a €500 award and a special recognition trophy, with an award ceremony planned at Combilift’s global headquarters in August 2027, following the release of the Leaving Certificate, Ireland’s final secondary college examination results.
The Manufacturing Day initiative raises awareness of the importance of the manufacturing sector and highlights the range of career opportunities available within modern manufacturing.
'Exciting career choice'
McVicar said: “If we want to have great engineers in manufacturing in the future, we have to encourage young people to see engineering as an exciting career choice.
“When you look at the technology being developed today, engineering is about much more than traditional mechanical engineering. There is software, coding, electrical engineering and mechatronics, and the skills students develop through Engineering and Technology can open up career opportunities across manufacturing.
“We are starting this in Monaghan because this is where Combilift began and where we have our global headquarters. As we continue to grow, we are looking for future talent, and we want to encourage more students to take up these subjects and excel in them.
“The skills these students are acquiring today will be important to the future of manufacturing, both here in Ireland and internationally.”
While the Combilift Award is limited to students in Co Monaghan, Combilift hopes the initiative will encourage other manufacturing companies in Ireland and internationally to consider introducing similar schemes within their own communities.
Manufacturing Day gives students first-hand insight into the manufacturing sector and the diverse career opportunities it offers. The event combined a tour of Combilift’s manufacturing facilities with practical activities covering mechatronics, electrical engineering, electronics, technical engineering and lean management, while also introducing students to technologies such as automation and driverless material handling. Together, these activities demonstrated how engineering and technology skills are applied across different areas of a modern manufacturing business.
Shane Beirne, head of public sector at Ibec, attended the event and highlighted the importance of opening manufacturing facilities to young people so they can see the technology and people behind the sector first hand.
Manufacturing directly employs 250,000 people in Ireland and is a significant contributor to the country's export economy.
Opportunities available
AnnaMarie Woods, OEM engineering apprenticeship programme manager, also attended the event and outlined the opportunities available through the OEM Engineering Apprenticeship programme, a three-year Level 6 engineering apprenticeship combining college-based learning with practical experience in industry. One of the programme's college phases is delivered at Monaghan Institute, with students also having the opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience at Combilift’s manufacturing facility.
The Future Engineers Award builds on Combilift's long-standing involvement in developing engineering talent. Since the company was established 28 years ago, it has supported initiatives aimed at encouraging young people to engage with engineering and manufacturing, including initiating the development of the OEM Engineering Apprenticeship programme, and participating in other initiatives such as Lego League, STEM and VEX Robotics programmes in secondary schools.
With more than 850 people employed at Combilift's Monaghan operation, the company continues to recruit across a broad range of engineering and manufacturing disciplines.
The Irish company plans the Future Engineers Award to become an annual recognition of engineering and technology achievement in County Monaghan, while demonstrating how manufacturers can play a direct role in encouraging young people to develop the technical skills required by industry.