IRELAND
Thousands of female students gather for STEM showcaseUpdated / Thursday, 8 Feb 2024
In a recent I Wish survey, 51% of female students said a barrier to STEM was a lack of female role models (Stock image)
By Brian O'Donovan
By Brian O'Donovan
RTE
Work & Technology Correspondent
Almost 3,000 female students have gathered for the 10th annual I Wish Showcase which is held to inspire girls to consider careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).
40 leading companies from the pharmaceutical, technology, and engineering sectors took part in the event at Dublin's RDS which includes interactive exhibitions and talks from guest speakers.
Former President of Ireland and current chair of The Elders Mary Robinson addressed students on climate justice and the challenges in achieving gender equality globally.
"I am delighted to join I Wish again this year, marking their 10th anniversary," Mrs Robinson said.
"It's an honour to be part of an event that ignites the spark of possibility in the hearts of young women."
"As a staunch supporter of 'girl power’, I witness its transformative impact every day through my work," she added.
Over the past decade, I Wish has engaged with over 60,000 students, hosted close to 1,000 speakers, and partnered with over 50 industry leaders.
In a recent I Wish survey, 51% of female students said a barrier to STEM was a lack of female role models while 66% cited poor gender equality in STEM careers.
"In our annual survey, time and time again girls tell us that they want more information about STEM and report that access to female role models positively influences them," said I Wish co-founder Caroline O'Driscoll
"At our Showcase, over 3,000 teenage girls get the opportunity to listen to the lived journeys of some amazing trailblazers," Ms O'Driscoll said.
Work & Technology Correspondent
Almost 3,000 female students have gathered for the 10th annual I Wish Showcase which is held to inspire girls to consider careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).
40 leading companies from the pharmaceutical, technology, and engineering sectors took part in the event at Dublin's RDS which includes interactive exhibitions and talks from guest speakers.
Former President of Ireland and current chair of The Elders Mary Robinson addressed students on climate justice and the challenges in achieving gender equality globally.
"I am delighted to join I Wish again this year, marking their 10th anniversary," Mrs Robinson said.
"It's an honour to be part of an event that ignites the spark of possibility in the hearts of young women."
"As a staunch supporter of 'girl power’, I witness its transformative impact every day through my work," she added.
Over the past decade, I Wish has engaged with over 60,000 students, hosted close to 1,000 speakers, and partnered with over 50 industry leaders.
In a recent I Wish survey, 51% of female students said a barrier to STEM was a lack of female role models while 66% cited poor gender equality in STEM careers.
"In our annual survey, time and time again girls tell us that they want more information about STEM and report that access to female role models positively influences them," said I Wish co-founder Caroline O'Driscoll
"At our Showcase, over 3,000 teenage girls get the opportunity to listen to the lived journeys of some amazing trailblazers," Ms O'Driscoll said.
LACK OF CENTRAL PLANNING
Tech employers faced with wage pressures and talent shortages
Updated / Wednesday, 7 Feb 2024
Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity and software engineering are among the most in demand skills
RTE
Work & Technology Correspondent
Employers in the tech sector are facing challenges when it comes to wage pressures and the availability of talent.
According to the 2024 Stelfox Salary Guide Survey, 70% of tech employers in Ireland say wage pressure is a major hurdle they will need to navigate in 2024, while an even greater number, 83%, are grappling with the availability of talent as demand for skilled professionals escalates.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and software engineering are among the most in demand skills categories.
The research shows that 41% of employers in the IT sector are planning to expand the size of their teams this year.
It also found that there was a 24% decrease in the number of exclusively remote working-based roles in 2023.
"As the tech skill demands outstrip supply, many companies are embracing a new culture of learning," said Clare McDonald, Commercial Director at Stelfox.
"Emerging technologies are changing so quickly that by the time a tech organisation has built out the team they need, the skills in demand can already be shifting.
"Due to the accelerated pace of technology, at times there is virtually no talent pool at all," Ms McDonald said.
"Many of our tech clients are thinking differently about where and how to attain the skills needed, rather than thinking only about headcount," she added.
Employers in the tech sector are facing challenges when it comes to wage pressures and the availability of talent.
According to the 2024 Stelfox Salary Guide Survey, 70% of tech employers in Ireland say wage pressure is a major hurdle they will need to navigate in 2024, while an even greater number, 83%, are grappling with the availability of talent as demand for skilled professionals escalates.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and software engineering are among the most in demand skills categories.
The research shows that 41% of employers in the IT sector are planning to expand the size of their teams this year.
It also found that there was a 24% decrease in the number of exclusively remote working-based roles in 2023.
"As the tech skill demands outstrip supply, many companies are embracing a new culture of learning," said Clare McDonald, Commercial Director at Stelfox.
"Emerging technologies are changing so quickly that by the time a tech organisation has built out the team they need, the skills in demand can already be shifting.
"Due to the accelerated pace of technology, at times there is virtually no talent pool at all," Ms McDonald said.
"Many of our tech clients are thinking differently about where and how to attain the skills needed, rather than thinking only about headcount," she added.
Growing numbers of graduates overqualified for their jobs - study
Updated / Thursday, 8 Feb 2024
Graduates are increasingly having to take up lower-paid employment
By Brian O'Donovan
RTE
Work & Technology Correspondent
Increasing numbers of third-level graduates are working in occupations in which they are overqualified according to research from the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI).
The study found that as graduate numbers outpace high-end employment opportunities in the Irish economy, graduates are increasingly having to take up lower-paid employment.
According to the research, over a generation, Ireland has expanded third-level education by more than almost any other EU country by vastly increasing the numbers of third-level graduates from households with parents with lower levels of formal education.
However, labour market opportunities in high-end employment have not kept pace and graduates, especially the sons and daughters of parents who did not go to third level, are increasingly working in jobs that have lower skill requirements and are lower paid.
Following on from a report on the overqualification of third-level graduates in Ireland last year, NERI, with the support of the Irish Research Council and the Department of Sociology at Maynooth University, has published a series of 3 themed reports on third-level education and employment outcomes in 13 high-income EU countries.
"In broad terms, the reports show that since the 1990s, Ireland has transitioned from having one of the lowest shares of third-level graduates to the highest in a high-income EU context," said Ciarán Nugent, Economist at NERI.
"Most of this occurred by narrowing the gap of third-level attainment by social origin (by increasing the numbers going to third level from families who weren't in the high level of formal education bracket themselves)," Mr Nugent said.
The research found that graduates are increasingly filling jobs with lower skills requirements in services, sales and clerical roles and that this is 'bumping down’ adults with lower levels of formal education out of the labour market entirely who in the past might have filled these roles.
By Brian O'Donovan
RTE
Work & Technology Correspondent
Increasing numbers of third-level graduates are working in occupations in which they are overqualified according to research from the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI).
The study found that as graduate numbers outpace high-end employment opportunities in the Irish economy, graduates are increasingly having to take up lower-paid employment.
According to the research, over a generation, Ireland has expanded third-level education by more than almost any other EU country by vastly increasing the numbers of third-level graduates from households with parents with lower levels of formal education.
However, labour market opportunities in high-end employment have not kept pace and graduates, especially the sons and daughters of parents who did not go to third level, are increasingly working in jobs that have lower skill requirements and are lower paid.
Following on from a report on the overqualification of third-level graduates in Ireland last year, NERI, with the support of the Irish Research Council and the Department of Sociology at Maynooth University, has published a series of 3 themed reports on third-level education and employment outcomes in 13 high-income EU countries.
"In broad terms, the reports show that since the 1990s, Ireland has transitioned from having one of the lowest shares of third-level graduates to the highest in a high-income EU context," said Ciarán Nugent, Economist at NERI.
"Most of this occurred by narrowing the gap of third-level attainment by social origin (by increasing the numbers going to third level from families who weren't in the high level of formal education bracket themselves)," Mr Nugent said.
The research found that graduates are increasingly filling jobs with lower skills requirements in services, sales and clerical roles and that this is 'bumping down’ adults with lower levels of formal education out of the labour market entirely who in the past might have filled these roles.
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