A new report from Engineers Ireland addresses the pressing need for improvements in STEM outreach and education. It focuses on creating a more inclusive, diverse, and accessible future for engineering by targeting key challenges such as gender inequity, lack of awareness, and limited access to engineering apprenticeships.
Creating a National Centre of Excellence for Engineering Outreach
The Engineers Ireland STEPS programme will present a paper on these issues during the 25th Anniversary Celebration on Monday 7 April. The paper will be discussed during a panel event featuring notable figures such as Damien Owens, Director General of Engineers Ireland, Úna Parsons, Retired Head of College at Atlantic Technological University, and Dr Keith Sunderland, Engineers Ireland Registrar and STEPS Director.
Engineering Outreach and Recommendations for Policy Change
The panel will also discuss the findings and recommendations of the report, which include the creation of a national Centre of Excellence for Engineering Outreach, embedding engineering more explicitly in school curricula, and pushing for substantial changes in STEM policy. It also advocates for targeted teacher training, a national awareness campaign, and a long-overdue recognition of apprenticeships as respected routes into the profession.
Over 2 Million Children Engaged with Engineering through STEPS
The Engineers Ireland STEPS Programme has been at the forefront of national STEM efforts for over two decades. It is the only national STEM programme with a dedicated focus on engineering and has introduced over 2 million children and young people to engineering as a meaningful and exciting career path.
