Engineering a Bright Future:
LIMERICK FOR ENGINEERING SHOWCASE 2019 promises to ignite ideas and INSPIRE young minds as it celebrates official launch at LIT
It was all systems go on Friday last (15th February) at the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), as the 2019 Limerick for Engineering Showcase was officially launched. The ‘Inspire’ Women for Engineering seminar, which was taking place on the day at LIT’s Moylish Campus, provided an apt launching pad for the annual showcase, which each year attracts hundreds of young minds eager to gain an invaluable insight into the many benefits of a career in engineering.
Now in its fifth year, the Limerick for Engineering Showcase will take place on Thursday 7th March from 5:30-8:30pm at the Shannon Airport Departures Hall. The free event, which is open to all aims to encourage school leavers – with a particular focus on female students – to consider a rewarding, exciting career within the engineering sector. Brought to life by the Limerick for Engineering consortium, the showcase will feature interactive stands from almost 50 leading companies based in the Mid-West region, including Cook Medical, Johnson & Johnson, Roadbridge, Analog Devices and Ei Electronics.
Industry professionals at the stands will share information on their roles and experiences working in the STEM sector. Third-level students, apprentices, graduates and professionals will also engage with visitors, inviting them to partake in a variety of demonstrations that will allow them to momentarily experience a day in the life of an engineer.
Providing those in attendance with a ‘one-stop shop’ of sorts, the event serves to highlight the many educational and training routes that are currently on offer to young school-goers wishing to pursue a career in engineering, while also presenting information on subsequent employment opportunities that are available within the 1500-plus multinational companies and SMEs currently operating in the Mid-West region. Representatives from Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, LIT and University of Limerick (UL) will be present in force at the Showcase in order to educate both parents and students on the many perks of this profitable industry.
The event represents collaboration in its many forms, highlighting the connection between academia and industry while also specifically referencing the vital alliance between the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, LIT and UL and their collective role in producing talented graduates that continue to fill the skills gap that exists within the STEM sector in the Mid-West.
Speaking at the launch event, which fittingly took place during the Inspire seminar at LIT, Paschal Meehan, Chair of Limerick for Engineering said: “It has been five years since the inception of the Limerick for Engineering Showcase and I truly believe that it is now more pertinent than ever, given the outcry for skilled graduates to fill such a wide range of positions within the engineering sector. When it comes to employment opportunities, demand currently outweighs supply, so we are hopeful that the event will inspire young students in search of an extremely well-paid and interesting career and bring STEM – and particularly Engineering – to the forefront of their minds.”
He added: “With one-quarter of the Mid-West region’s overall employment stemming from the manufacturing sector, the future is incredibly bright for many of Ireland’s budding engineers, so we would encourage parents, teachers and young people to attend the Showcase to get a first-hand look at the endless possibilities that can be discovered by pursuing a career in engineering.”