Over 20 leading edge companies, educational institutions, government and local agencies along with Engineers Ireland have come together to showcase what engineering opportunities and careers are available in the Mid-West region. Under the banner â Limerick for Engineeringâ this consortium have been pooling their expertise and resources to ensure that there will be a pipeline of technicians engineers in  the region to support the fantastic career opportunities that already exist and which will be increasing consistently over the coming years.
This industry led event will highlight the various streams of engineering and inform participants about exciting engineering careers, common to a diverse range of organisations that are available here in the Mid-West.
One of the goals of this unique initiative is to increase the standard and pool of engineering talent available in the region and to sustain future growth in engineering-related industry.
Barry OâSullivan Plant Manager, Johnson & Johnson, Vision Care Ireland and Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce, Mid West Region, recognises the need for this exciting initiative given âthe amount of job announcements in the Midwest region in the last 12 months, coupled with the general recovery internationally, we expect to see an increased demand for skills in IT and Engineering for the upcoming generation.â
This theme was reinforced by Mike Lane, Managing Director, Modular Automation in Shannon who commented  â To sustain our business growth we are planning to hire 30 engineers over the next 2-3 years. Like other engineering companies in the region, we are experiencing a shortage of talented engineers. Weâre delighted to be part of The Limerick for Engineering initiative, through this we are reaching out to secondary school leavers and parents to highlight the diverse career opportunities in engineering in this regionâ
According to Dr Seamus Gordon, Head of Manufacturing and Design Engineering at UL âDuring the Celtic Tiger era programmes in engineering and manufacturing dropped in popularity with CAO students, however there was always a need for these graduates in these areas and there is now a shortage of qualified technical graduates â there are great opportunities and exciting jobsâ
This Event will give students the opportunity to meet with industry professionals who will provide information about their chosen fields as well and demonstrate some interesting technologies they work with. Also on the night current students, graduates and academics, from LIT and UL will be available to demonstrate the latest cutting edge engineering equipment and guide you to  courses are that available locally to prepare you for these opportunities.
The event takes place in the South Court Hotel, Limerick on Wednesday 13th May at 7pm. It is open to all but will be of particular interest to CAO students 2015, transition, 5th and 6th year secondary school students, parents, guidance counsellors, technology teachers, and those interested in engineering as a career.
Register for free at Limerick for âEngineering on Facebookâ and be in with a chance to win an iPad!!!