Impending Shortage of Civil Engineering Students

According to Prof. Eugene O’Brien, Head of Subject in UCD’s School of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Ireland is heading for a critical shortage of Civil Engineering graduates in two years’ time. Student numbers have fallen in recent years so we are already at risk of not being able to fill vacancies to work on the jobs that will come from the stimulus package announced by the Irish Government yesterday (17 July 2012). This means that now is a great time for students contemplating university studies engineering to enrol in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering.  “It also is good news for recent graduates and currently enrolled students.”

The announcement ((opens in a new window)http://per.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/Briefing-Note-17-7-12-_2_2.pdf) earmarks over €2 billion for civil engineering oriented projects such as roads and other infrastructure.  The package is expected to create approximately 13,000 jobs and Civil Engineers will be needed both for design and to supervise the execution of the projects.

There are other signs that employment prospects for new civil engineering graduates will be good, and that there is a real threat of a shortage of civil engineers in Ireland in the relatively immediate future.  According to O’Brien, indicators of construction activity, which are a good predictor of demand for civil engineering graduates, are already on the rise in Ireland.  “If I were the parent of a student with an interest in Mathematics and Science, I would certainly be encouraging my child to take a serious look at civil engineering.”