Academic warns pessimism is damaging manufacturing

Employer groups and government agencies who constantly highlight Ireland's lack of competitiveness are "prophets of doom" who are killing off manufacturing jobs, according to a senior academic.

The people who predict the drift of manufacturing jobs to cheaper overseas location will actually cause that to happen, the head of Sligo IT's department of mechanical and electronic engineering warned.

Speaking a the launch of Ireland's first National Skills Competition in Mechatronics, Frank Carter said talented people were being scared away from jobs in science and technology by the perception that manufacturing has no future.

"By constantly highlighting our lack of competitiveness and calling for wage restraint in the manufacturing sector, employer groups and government agencies could damage our prospects of developing the knowledge economy in manufacturing," said Mr Carter.

He said there was a danger that high-flying Leaving Cert students would opt for other areas of study, and the supply of creative talent into this important sector would dry up.

"Without a cohort of excellent graduates to implement and adapt technology, design new systems and manage sophisticated quality procedures, manufacturers will be left with no option but to look to those locations where these are available," he maintained.

The National Skills Competition final in Mechatronics will be held at the Institute of Technology Sligo on November 16th and 17th as part of Science and Technology Week.

The college described Mechatronics as a completely automated, robot-run manufacturing system which combines mechanical design, automation, electronics, data communications, information technology and quality management in one integrated system.

Mr Carter said that last month's report from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs had highlighted the expected skills shortages in engineering while a similar report from A&L Goodbody suggested a deficit of some 100,000 graduates over the next 10 years.

"Predictions of an inevitable drift of manufacturing towards overseas countries are cutting off the supply of the most important ingredient to manufacturing: creative talent in the form of educated professionals in science, engineering and quality management," said Mr Carter.