Leaving Certificate students should not be put off choosing computer science courses by news of job losses, IBEC's director of social policy has said. Ms Jackie Harrison says the trend toward higher technology in the job market will continue in the event of a downturn in the economy and demand for high-skilled graduates will remain strong. "I think we need to look at ways to make sure that next year's group aren't put off by a short-term issue," she says.

The call follows sharp decreases this year in the number of CAO points needed to enter computer, IT and science-related courses.

Leaving Certificate students were this year less likely to choose a computer or technology course, with points for two-thirds of CAO computer and IT courses falling. In Cork Institute of Technology, computer applications fell by 60 points, while computers with German in Trinity College tumbled by 110 points to 325.

"Possibly we must look at it closely, why this year's group of students made those choices," says Ms Harrison. "When they were filling in their CAO applications, there was not as much news about a slowdown in the economy as there is now."

Ms Harrison says there are "worrying signs" that young people are not interested in science and technology. "Down the line, we won't have the numbers, but there is no doubt we will need people with these skills."

Mr Colm Regan, executive director of the trade agency Forfβs, agrees that skilled graduates will continue to be in demand. "Skills are the main factor that is going to drive our competitiveness and therefore our standard of living," he says. "There is a worldwide shortage of information technology graduates in particular, so we are going to need to produce more and more of those."

The reduction in points is partly explained by a fall in youth population. Last June, 58,388 students sat their Leaving Certificate - more than 4,000 fewer than in 2000. The number of 17 and 18-year-olds will fall by 15 per cent between 1999 and 2005.

The high failure rate in ordinary level maths - almost 17 per cent - also means that many students were not eligible for places.

There has been a commitment by the Government to increasing college places in science and technology, according to Ms Harrison. "But if it is the case that less people are interested in taking up those places, then we have a more fundamental problem," she adds.

"Employers can be positive and supportive, but they can't change the situation on their own."

Attitudes toward careers in science and technology are mixed, according to Mr Regan. Some students perceive science subjects as difficult, whereas other students and their parents tend to opt for careers in traditional professions, such as medicine and law, before careers in science and technology.

But Mr Regan says that the Republic has a "reasonably good proportion" of people studying science and technology - 39 per cent of third-level students take courses in these areas. This is above the EU average of 37 per cent, he says, although "we want to go higher than that".

Mr Regan is a member of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which has lobbied the Government for more than €100 million (£78.7 million) to address skills shortages in the tech sector.

A survey by the group has shown an annual deficit of almost 2,500 engineering and computer science professionals. Although the number of graduates with computer science degrees has increased since 1997, this year's drop in points indicates a fall in demand for places in computer science courses.

The fall in points is also linked to dropout rates. Studies by the National Centre for Guidance in Education have shown that students with a lower points rating in the Leaving Cert are more likely to drop out of third-level courses.

"Science degrees, as well as being rewarding and interesting, are also challenging, and maybe students who enter with a lower number of points will struggle with the course," says Ms Harrison. "We need people to go on to do masters and postgraduate qualifications and we need a pool of people at the upper end who will do this."

Students also drop out of courses because of a lack of information about their choices. Mr Padraig Murray failed his first year in a four-year degree in computational linguistics in Dublin City University and repeated before transferring to business studies. "We were told it would be big money when you graduate, but I absolutely hated it," he says. "I filled out the CAO form when I was 16, which was too young. I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do and I had a serious lack of knowledge about the course."

But students, who have continued studying computer courses, remain upbeat about finding a job after graduation, despite recent gloom in the technology sector.

Mr Richard Maher is a graduate of Trinity College's computer science degree, which this year fell by 45 points to 430. "I would recommend the course because it's a well-rounded education. It wasn't just computer programming; there were skills, such as working in a team environment, that you could bring into any area," he says.

Mr Maher is now working as a programmer for SmartForce. "I got the job six months ago, before there was talk of the recession in America affecting companies here. It might be more difficult to get a job if you are going out looking right now, but in general I would say the job prospects for anyone doing a course in computers are very good."

Mr Paddy Brien, a computer applications student in DCU, agrees. "A lot of the jobs that have been lost have to do with the manufacture of computers. I'd still think there are good jobs available, for example, in software engineering."