Report from the frontline of careers in technology
Posted: May 23, 2011 Filed under: Engineering, IT and telecoms, Labour market information Leave a comment »
A recent ‘Smart Futures’ seminar in Engineers Ireland, jointly organised with ICT Ireland, highlighted a trend referenced in this blog over the last few months – the breadth of jobs currently available in the IT sector and the career options available.
Some topline stats:
- By 2025 there will be more than 8 billion inhabitants on planet earth. The demand for hydro-carbons and the youth bulge in developing countries will lead to a sustained demand for (and create great challenges for) technology.
- 74,000 people are directly employed in the tech sector in Ireland (and up to 200,000 in associated and supply chain businesses).
- Since the beginning of 2010 more than 5,000 jobs have been created in the technology sector in Ireland.
- 75 per cent of tech companies in Ireland currently have vacancies.
- 55 per cent of these companies have over 20 vacancies.
At present there is a skills shortage – the educational system is not producing enough graduates to cope with the demand for jobs in this sector. So, with graduate prospects bleak in other areas of the economy, how can today’s graduates gain entry to this world of plentiful jobs and stellar careers?
- There are loads of jobs in tech companies for non-techies! Sales, marketing, product and project managers, finance, HR and customer service roles are booming.
- Tech companies look for four key competencies – the Four Cs. These are communication; collaboration; critical thinking & problem solving; and creativity & innovation. So it’s not all about Java and C++. Demonstrate the Four Cs and you will get that job.
- Tech companies love engineers, and not just software and electrical engineers. Mechanical, civil and construction graduates should look at their core competencies and consider how they can build on these to access jobs in tech companies. New conversion courses are rumoured to be on the horizon as part of the government’s jobs initiative; keep your eyes peeled.
- Companies like Google and Facebook hire graduates from across all disciplines.
- When assessing an individual’s creative potential, many of these companies look at a candidate’s activities outside their formal education.
The conclusion is that there will be an explosion of jobs in Irish tech companies in the next decade. Computer science graduates are in huge demand, but there are (and will continue to be) jobs in tech companies for all graduates. If you thought that tech jobs were just for nerds and not for you, think again – these companies need problem solvers, intelligent, flexible and creative individuals, and there are plenty of talented Irish students who can match these criteria.
Analysis of the job trends on gradireland.com during April
Posted: May 9, 2011 Filed under: Accountancy, Engineering, IT and telecoms, Labour market information Leave a comment »The president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland was quoted this week in The Irish Times that contrary to ‘the barrage of negative stories’ about Ireland over the last two years, many companies are encountering problems finding the correct skills (and individuals) to meet their immediate recruitment needs. This is reflected in the continuing rise in graduate job opportunities on gradireland.com, particularly in the area of technology and IT.
Analysis of the jobs on gradireland in April shows that there were 20 per cent more jobs on the site compared to the same period in 2010, with an average of 178 graduate opportunities online every day. The IT and telecoms sector continues to show strong and sustained demand. 40 per cent of the jobs were in the top three sectors – IT and telecoms; engineering; and accountancy and financial management.
As the class of 2011 finish their exams and prepare to graduate, graduates in these sectors are in great demand amongst employers, both in Ireland and also abroad (20 per cent of jobs are either UK-based or further afield, an increase of 7 per cent since the turn of the year. The financial services and accounting sectors are the areas with the highest number of international opportunities).
However, graduates from all disciplines are in demand and there are jobs across all sectors on the site. Recent additions include opportunities for copy writers, chefs, marketing graduates, researchers and teaching abroad, to name a few, and new graduate programmes are also starting up. There are also plenty of opportunities for work experience on the site: 15.7 per cent of the jobs on gradireland.com are classed as graduate work placements or internships.
So the message is a positive one – there is demand amongst employers for Irish graduates, so don’t allow ‘the barrage of negative stories’ to influence your thinking. There are opportunities out there, so good luck to those of you sitting exams, celebrate when they are over, and then get applying!
Engineering, economic development and job creation
Posted: April 4, 2011 Filed under: Career sectors, Engineering Leave a comment »Ireland cannot fill 1,200 job vacancies in the biomedical sector, according to publicity released by Engineers Ireland ahead of their annual conference last week.
The statement from John Power, Director General of the professional body, described how there are currently 1,200 unfilled engineering vacancies across Ireland in the pharmaceutical and biomedical sectors: ‘in a country that has over 430,000 people unemployed this is a remarkable figure’.
The conference itself continued the discussion on the role of engineering in the economy under the optimistic title ‘Engineering New Wealth for Ireland’.
Economist David McWilliams’ comments on ‘Working with Ireland’s Economic Reality’ went down particularly well with the 260 engineers present, judging by the conference’s Twitter stream. He is quoted as saying: ‘Engineers are prepared to fail as well as succeed… every wealthy country has engineers at its centre.’
Frank Ryan, Chief Executive of Enterprise Ireland, spoke on ‘Options for an Export Led Recovery’ and listed many examples of Irish engineering companies that are leading in world markets.
There were strong voices too from Aer Lingus Chief Executive Christoph Mueller, speaking on the importance of valuing skilled craftsmen, from Dermot Byrne of Eirgrid on the opportunities for energy export in the next decade, and from Pat Cox, former President of the European Parliament, talking of the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship.
And there is a good basis for engineers to see themselves at the centre of job creation: engineering is one of the top three sectors for graduate job vacancies on gradireland.com.
The conference was open to Engineers Ireland student members as well as experienced professionals, and if you’re an engineering student it’s worth checking out other benefits of student membership to see how they might help your own career.
