Technicians will be able to upgrade to degree at planned NUI course

Technicians will be able to upgrade their professional certification to a Bachelor's degree in engineering under a new, part-time web-based course under consideration at NUI Maynooth.

The programme, called DEFT (Degree Extension for Technicians), "is about getting people back into the degree stream, if they so wish," said Prof John Ringwood of the Department of Engineering, Maynooth.

Prof Ringwood said DEFT would also help address the State's shortage of highly skilled engineers. "Over the last five years, one of the real limitations on Irish economic growth was the availability of skilled workers." DEFT has been designed with input from the technology industry, which is understood to support the initiative because it enables companies to offer the programme as a perk for attracting and keeping skilled technicians. Eventually, DEFT would also give them a better qualified employee with broader career prospects within the corporation.

Most technicians interested in becoming engineers have few part-time education options for earning a degree, with the handful that pursue such a course turning to the Open University in Britain, according to industry representatives. Several company sources said they believed there would be significant interest in an Irish-based programme.

Maynooth, with its location near technology giants such as Intel and Hewlett-Packard in Leixlip, as well as the range of companies clustered around Dublin, has maintained a strong connection with industry.

"We firmly believe that basic research should be informed by application needs," said Prof Ringwood. The course, which the university hopes to launch in September, would be primarily offered through web-based coursework.

Degrees could be completed in either a two-year or three-year programme, although working technicians would probably opt for the longer course.

Technicians at the top of their field who also receive shift bonuses actually earn more than most engineers. However, working hours are more regular for engineers, and they have greater variety of work, and more opportunities for travel and advancement.