For the second year running, the Task Force on the Supply of Technicians has organised two innovative national certificate courses - in computing and in manufacturing technology - to address the critical shortage of technicians for our fast-growing industrial sector.
The 18-month courses will be provided in nine institutes of technology in partnership with some of the major multi-national companies in the State, including Dell, 3Com, Gateway, Xerox, IBM, Intel, AIB and Ericsson Systems. Starting in January next, the courses will include a six-month work placement in a company, as well as the 12-month study element.
Last January some 290 people were accepted (from 1,000 eligible applicants) when the scheme was piloted. Next January, there will be about 500 places between the two courses, for which prospective students must apply through the CAO before next Monday.
Progress on this intake of students is going to be very rapid - it's expected that the first offers of places on these two courses will be made before the end of the month.
This initiative is unique in that it offers a new opportunity to gain a third-level qualification. Selection will be made not just on the basis of the application to the CAO but, since this is an industry/IT partnership, interviews and aptitude tests may be included. The courses are open to all applicants and are suitable for adults, second-chance opportunities and for under-employed people who would qualify for a challenging educational and experience opportunity.
In addition, participants are eligible for student finance while attending the study section of the courses in the ITs and will be paid by the company in which they do their six-month work placement. For more mature applicants, the courses qualify for the Back to Education allowance scheme.
Another feature of the courses is the provision for companies and organisations to sponsor qualified employees already at work to participate.
In all, Irish industry has a need for over 2,000 computer science technicians between last year and 2003. Currently, there is a great demand for technicians is in the manufacturing technology area; it is projected we will need an extra 2,377 engineering technicians by the year 2003.
This is a double-edged sword situation to be in - having more skilled job vacancies than we have people to fill them, but it also is a situation fraught with danger because the word can too easily go out abroad that we don't have a supply of qualified people to meet the demands of industry. The efforts of the Task Force on the Supply of Technicians are commendable, but emergency initiatives such as the provision of these two new courses are not sufficient. This is not meant as a criticism of the Task Force - indeed, its remit is to do just what it is doing.
However, there's still a lot of educating to be done out there on second-level students and their parents regarding the merits of technician qualifications. Why is it that so many school-leavers still want to get onto a degree course - and don't want to consider the really interesting and rewarding careers available through technician training, in spite of all the information available? Why is it that so many school-leavers are willing to take apparently glamorous but badly-paid jobs in the retail sector, for instance, when with a technician qualification they could earn far more money in a career that offers advancement?
When will we stop looking down on a technician qualification as a dead-end option and realise that it's the beginning of an upward career path if the opportunities are only grasped?
