Second level education and the decline in popularity of engineering within an Irish context

This paper examines the obligatory but often contentious relationship that exists between contemporary second level education and undergraduate student course choice within an Irish context. A survey of 1,723 students from across four second level schools and all year groups was conducted asking students to elect a future career they would most like to pursue. The results of this survey served to highlight the declining allure of engineering as a future career for students as they progress through second level. Focus groups were held in all four schools in order to identify current motivations behind student course choice, as well as students’ perceptions regarding the decline in undergraduate engineering numbers. Students frequently highlighted future career prospects, as well as current matriculation requirements as mitigating factors in the uptake of undergraduate engineering degree programmes. Finally this paper also compares and contrasts the perceptions and motivations of current second level students with those of existing undergraduate engineers.