Engineers Ireland Amplified

Irish engineers are incredibly creative thinkers and innovators, but it's a big leap going from innovator to entrepreneur, and taking an idea you might have to market. 

Today we hear from a prominent engineer with a fascinating career history, which took her from aeronautical engineering into the biomedical space. We'll be finding out how she looks at problems, overcomes obstacles, where she sees innovation and opportunity, and getting some great advice for any engineers who are thinking of launching their own business. 

Our guest is CEO of Altratech and the Assistant Director of the Stokes Research Institute at University of Limerick, Dr. Tara Dalton.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• Transitioning through different disciplines of engineering 
• The benefits of working within interdisciplinary teams
• Learning to ‘skate where the puck is’ 
• Being aware of trends and spotting gaps in the market 
• Striving for progress over perfection and asking for help 

GUEST DETAILS
Dr Tara Dalton, CEO of Altratech and Assistant Director of the Stokes Research Institute in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Limerick.

Dr Dalton is a fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineers. She is one of the founders of Stokes Bio – a spin-out company that was sold to Life Technologies that developed high throughput microfluidic instruments for PCR. Her research interest is in the development of microfluidic devices for biological assays. She has graduated 20 PhD Students, published over 100 refereed papers and has over 50 granted patent and patent applications.

https://altratech.com/ 

https://ul.ie/research/dr-tara-dalton 

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

In my mind, in engineering, you don't want to be at the cutting edge of absolute new science. You want to be just behind it, so you can help people with that science. - Tara Dalton 

When you work with interdisciplinary team, and I work with medics, physicists, chemists or even with other entrepreneurs, it's just amazing, because I find that everybody wants to help you be better. Nobody, at least in my experience, gatekeeps their knowledge. - Tara Dalton

Skate where the puck is, right. It didn't matter that I had this great product, but to get venture capital funding, that was never going to happen, because it wasn't in that ecosystem at the time. So that was one really big learning lesson. - Tara Dalton 

Ask for help. Everybody, ask for help. Go talk to people, go talk to Enterprise Ireland, go talk to lawyers, go talk to VCs. Don't go saying I want, want, want, just say, What should I do? How could you help me? You'd be surprised how many people will give you their time. - Tara Dalton 

KEYWORDS

#engineering #problemsolving #entrepreneurship #biomedical #aeronauticalengineering #science

2023 was a ‘record breaker’ for wind power in Ireland, but have we got the resources to reach the government's goals for a renewable future? 

Today we learn about some of the engineering problems behind Ireland’s long-term strategy for increasing wind power, the challenges caused by policy, regulation and mother nature, along with a huge career drive to get more people, including engineers, working in the wind sector. 

Our guest is extremely passionate about Ireland’s renewable energy potential. Also a chartered engineer, he uses his many years of experience fighting tirelessly to help us make the most of our natural resources and meet our sustainability targets for 2030. He is CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, Noel Cunniffe. 

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• How Ireland is leading the way and breaking records in wind energy generation 
• Innovative engineering work happening in Ireland’s renewable energy sector 
• Policy, planning permission, community engagement and other challenges facing the wind sector
• Offshore wind and why it’s Ireland’s energy future 
• The Work In Wind recruitment drive and why engineers are needed 

GUEST DETAILS
Noel Cunniffe is the CEO of Wind Energy Ireland which is Ireland’s largest renewable energy association and works with a wide range of stakeholders to build understanding and awareness of the benefits of wind and renewable energy. Prior to becoming CEO, Noel led Wind Energy Ireland’s Policy department in driving policy development across all aspects of the onshore and offshore renewable industry in Ireland.

Previously, Noel was the Renewable Integration Lead in EirGrid, the Transmission System Operator of Ireland, and worked across several departments including electricity grid planning and operation, and the design of the electricity market of Ireland. He is a Chartered Engineer with Engineer’s Ireland.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/noel-cunniffe-b34a1429 

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

A lot of people in the country don't know we're actually a world leader when it comes to the amount of our electricity that comes from wind. - Noel Cunniffe 

Last year in total over 1/3 of Ireland's electricity came from wind. As you can imagine, it's very weather dependent. In December, over 50% of Ireland's electricity during the course of December came from wind. One in two times when you were boiling a kettle, turning on your TV, using your internet, it was thanks to wind energy. - Noel Cunniffe 

I get asked a lot. What happens when the wind doesn't blow. Where does our backup come from? And in the short term, the answer is going to be gas generation. That's the least polluting fossil fuel that we have. We should not be using oil, we should not be using coal, unless it's an absolute emergency. - Noel Cunniffe 

I know this is probably very bonkers to think about, but if we didn't have wind energy over the past two years our electricity bills would have been much, much, much higher than they already were. - Noel Cunniffe

Wind energy helped to push the most expensive oil and gas off the electricity grid. - Noel Cunniffe 

We're really at the point now, where we as a country need to get in, jump in and invest in the grid again. That means building overhead lines, underground cables, new substations, it is the heartbeat of a thriving economy, and decarbonisation and ensuring that our lights stay on. - Noel Cunniffe 

KEYWORDS

#wind #electricitygrid #offshorewind #windfarm #energy #electricity #renewableenergy #turbines

Engineers are primed to think on their feet and solve problems in record times, but dealing with the weight of a whole country’s emergency call service requires lightning approaches and a ‘nothing is impossible’ attitude. 

Today we dive into the world of the most important telecommunications operation in the country, the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS). We learn how the service operates in ways people may never consider and the contingency plans that help it weather any storm, or pandemic. 

Our expert guest has been at the cutting edge of data and communications in Ireland since the introduction of the internet and is now Head of Operations with ECAS, Michael Kelly. 

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• How Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) operates
• Problem solving in an industry with 99.999% uptime 
•  Adapting to weather and pandemic phenomena 
•  Lessons learned from introducing the internet to Ireland 
•  Why we shouldn’t fear AI and start seeing it as an asset 

GUEST DETAILS

Michael Kelly is the Head of Operations at the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS). Michael has extensive experience in the telecommunications industry including his role with PostGEM where he helped introduce the public internet during the late 80s/early 90s. He has also served as Director of the Internet Services Provider Association of Ireland until he joined BT as their Head of Engineering Planning & Design. Since 2012, he has been Head of Operations for the 112/999  Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS).

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kelly-a5312810/ 

QUOTES

It's like that old adage about the 747, in the air, we're changing the engines without landing the plane. There's never a good time for us to do maintenance. So therefore we're constantly working on the system round the clock and making sure that our change control is absolutely state of the art engineering so that, even if we do make a mistake, we can roll back without anybody realizing that there was ever a problem in the first place. - Michael Kelly 

What I can say is because of our engineers, and one in particular, I think we were probably the first country to identify what the problem was. - Michael Kelly 

While it's stressful at the time, and you think ‘how are we going to solve this problem?’ Nothing is impossible, if you set your mind to it. And that genuinely is our mantra, it has to be that way. We can't just give up. - Michael Kelly 

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

KEYWORDS

#telecommunications #engineers #internet #datacentres #emergencyservices

Today we find out how Irish engineers are attracting big foreign business, and how investing in personal development is just as beneficial for your own growth as it is for the sector. 

Global investment is crucial to the economic wellbeing of Ireland, and there are still challenges the country needs to overcome to ensure continued success. 

Our expert today is at the forefront of Ireland’s international business investments and believes our engineering sector has a lot of talent to offer. He is an engineer and CEO of IDA Ireland, Michael Lohan. 

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

01:09 Michael’s Career

06:36 Working with tech, people and global supply chains 

08:13 What the IDA does 

10:03 The main investment sectors in Ireland 

12:58 Challenges impacting foreign investment 

16:28 The availability of STEM talent in Ireland 

18:06 How Irish engineers stand out 

23:13 Encouraging upskilling and continuous learning 

26:19 Getting young people involved in STEM subjects 

34:00 Expanding opportunities outside of Dublin 

37:35 Advice Michael would give to a young engineer 

GUEST DETAILS
Michael Lohan is the Chief Executive Officer of IDA Ireland as of April 2023. A key priority for Michael in his role as Chief Executive Officer is leading on the execution and delivery of IDA Ireland’s organisational strategy: Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021- 2024, which will be delivered through a focus on five pillars: Growth, Transformation, Regions, Sustainability, and Impact.

Michael joined IDA Ireland in 2003 and has held various management positions across multiple functions and has represented IDA in several fora including as a Board member on Digital Manufacturing Ireland, a governance member on the SSPC research centre for pharmaceuticals and also The Irish Medical Association (which is the business association within IBEC representing the medical devices and diagnostics sector).

Prior to joining IDA Ireland, Michael held several different positions including Manager for New Business Solutions with Nortel’s European Operations in Galway and a management role with IEC Electronics European Operations. Michael is an Engineering graduate with an MSc in Technology Management from the National University of Ireland, Galway and additionally is a graduate of the Berkley Executive Programme.

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

To learn more about iWish https://www.iwish.ie/ 

QUOTES

I can speak for myself, as an engineer, you're very much technically driven, but those softer skills, that acumen from a business perspective, are so so important. The more you can hone that, coupled that with your technical expertise, that's a formula for real success, for real growth and progression. - Michael Lohan 

We have been very successful for the last decade plus in terms of FDI. In terms of economic prosperity in Ireland, our population is growing, our enterprise base, both foreign and indigenous have grown. That leads us to the challenges of success, our housing capacity, our infrastructure capacity. There are key elements that we have to continue to address and make sure that we have adequate plans in place for the next generation of investment. - Michael Lohan 

We in Ireland seem to be leading at the front edge of that technology, of that innovation, of that deployment, and I think that comes down to the skill base that we have, and within that is the engineering resources that's available to us. - Michael Lohan 

I would encourage anyone, no matter where you are in your career, to continue to learn. In fact, I am no different, I have to continue to be curious, I have to continue to look to where I can add additional strengths to my offering. - Michael Lohan 

I think industry needs to help encourage young people into STEM, because the more we can show that there's a path here in terms of career, that there's a rewarding, fulfilling and diverse career that you can get  through STEM subjects.  - Michael Lohan 

Learn as quickly as you can how to interact and engage with others because the your success is going to be based on how you engage with your peers, how you can influence and negotiate. The more you can hone that earlier in your career, the more you can benefit from it later on. - Michael Lohan 

KEYWORDS

#engineering #investment #STEM #business #IDA

Water Infrastructure is a hugely important sector here in Ireland, and it has many challenges on the horizon, including everything from climate change to infrastructure demand. 

Today, we're finding out more about the future of that water infrastructure and where engineers will play a crucial role in ensuring its success. 

Our expert today is at the center of the industry and has experience working on massive projects in Ireland, the UK and Asia. He is CEO of Uisce Eireann and a fellow of Engineers Ireland, Niall Gleeson.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

01:22 Working on infrastructure projects abroad 

04:29 Moving from on the ground engineering to management 

06:41 Water supply challenges in Ireland 

09:49 Maintaining drinking water safety 

11:30 Sourcing more water supplies for rural and urban areas 

14:02 How wastewater is managed 

15:18 Future-proofing in Uisce Eireann 

18:05 Climate change considerations in water management 

20:52 Engineering roles in the water sector 

23:52 Driving innovation while managing the day to day 

28:57 Uisce Eireann’s role in future infrastructure 

30:56 What lessons helped Niall move up the ladder 

GUEST DETAILS
Niall Gleeson is Chief Executive Officer of Uisce Éireann, the national utility responsible for providing public water and wastewater services throughout Ireland. Niall leads the organisation in the delivery of safe, clean and environmentally compliant water services to households and businesses across Ireland. He has been instrumental in driving Uisce Éireann’s safety, sustainability and employee engagement strategies and in 2022 led the organisation in securing the provision of an historic €1.1 billion in capital investment funding, which is vital to developing Ireland’s critical water services infrastructure, protecting public health and supporting social and economic development.

Prior to joining Uisce Éireann, Niall was Managing Director for Veolia Ireland and Alstom Ireland and held a number of senior leadership roles with world-leading infrastructure companies including General Electric and Shanahan Engineering. He has significant experience in the finance, construction, commissioning and maintenance of transport and utility assets, and has led major infrastructure projects across Ireland, the UK and Asia. Raised in Dublin, he holds a degree in engineering from the Dublin Institute of Technology.

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

The problem-solving is one of the big things, engineers are  in demand not just for engineering trades, but banking or all that kind of stuff. It’s the ability to look at a problem and work out a logical process to get a resolution, starting at the start and working your way methodically through problems is a real key, and it’s a trait that most engineers have. - Niall Gleeson 

A lot of us are very solution focused, especially engineers, so we're trying to solve people's problems for them. Quite often, you just have to listen. They talk themselves through the problem and they almost solve it for you while they're sitting in front of you. So it's not always reacting. I think that's probably what I would teach my younger self, listen more. - Niall Gleeson 

We have an awful lot of stuff that goes into toilets that shouldn't go into toilets like wet wipes.. They say they're biodegradable, but they're not. We pull about 60 tons of what we call rags out of the inlets of Ringsend every month. - Niall Gleeson 

Over the next 25 years our plan is to improve drinking water, get a very reliable source, provide more where there's growth and make sure that the likes of Dublin can continue to grow, and other urban areas. All of the projections are that the population is going to keep growing.  - Niall Gleeson 

We have to do our day to day job and we have to deliver water every day, so innovation can be tricky. But our sustainability program is driving a lot of innovation, we're looking at solar panels on the roofs of buildings and things like biodiversity. - Niall Gleeson 

We're crying out for engineers at the moment. We have a huge recruitment programme going on. As part of our transformation to, the Uisce Eireann transformation program. One of the challenges we have is with our own teams and with the local authorities, there's a lot of people who are approaching retirement. So we need a new batch of people coming through. - Niall Gleeson 

KEYWORDS

#water #engineers #wastewater #drinkingwater #rivers #climatechange

Engineers are having a meaningful impact across communities in Ireland through working in the public sector. 

Today we hear from three professionals with extensive experience working within the public sector about the rewarding projects they have worked on and the career paths they have taken. 

Our guests are Head of the National Building Control & Market Surveillance Office in Dublin and a fellow with Engineers Ireland Mairéad Phelan, Executive Engineer with Limerick City and County Council Fergal Timlin and Senior Executive Engineer with Louth County Council Claire Hughes. 

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

01:09 Public sector and private sector differences

02:15 Job fulfilment in public sector work 

04:40 Time scales in public sector work 

06:46 Working with members of the public 

10:41 Advice for those looking to move into the public sector 

12:06 Taking a step back from the business calculations 

16:27 The variation of work in the public sector 

19:02 Career progression in the public sector 

26:58 Changing the perception of engineering gender stereotypes at school level 

GUEST DETAILS
Claire Hughes has a degree in Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering from Trinity College Dublin in 2006, an MSc Eng in Fire Safety Engineering from University of Ulster in 2013 and Postgraduate Dip in Road & Transport Engineering (inaugural year of the course) from IT Sligo in 2017. Claire is over 17 years working in Local Authorities (Monaghan, Offaly, Meath and now Louth County Councils) across a number of Departments such as Housing Capital, Road Design, Operations, Water & Wastewater services and Environmental services. She is currently working in Louth County Council as a Senior Executive Engineer in Waste Management & Environment Department.

Website: https://www.louthcoco.ie/en/ 

Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-hughes-3215961b7 

Mairéad Phelan is Head of the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of Engineers Ireland she was a Programme Manager with the Local Government Management Agency on national projects. Prior to this, she was Fingal County Council’s head of the Built Environment Inspectorate Division; preceded by Senior Engineer Road Safety, Transportation and Bridges Division. She spent 10 years as Municipal Town Engineer with Carlow County Council while also performing the role of Conservation Officer. Her career commenced with Consulting Engineering work on Major Water & Drainage Schemes. Mairéad is an Associate Lecturer with SETU Carlow and is passionate about promoting the construction of safe and healthy buildings and the sustainable reuse of our existing building stock. She was awarded the Civil Service Excellence and Innovation award in 2015.

She holds an MBA, a Diploma in Law, and a PG. Cert. in Governance, a PGDip in Highway & Geotechnical Engineering, a PGDip in Project Management, and a Cert in GDPR.

Website: https://nbco.localgov.ie/ 

Social Media: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/mair%C3%A9ad-phelan-a9b42a20 

Fergal has 13 years’ experience in civil/environmental engineering. He has amassed a large amount of experience in a wide range of Civil Engineering disciplines, such as the construction of roads and drainage infrastructure.

Fergal is currently a member of the Thomond Region Committee and the Civil Division Committee of Engineers Ireland. He is also the planning lead for the Construction Sector Circular Economy Roadmap Report .

Website: https://www.limerick.ie/council 

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/fergal-d-timlin-88ab7b39   

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

The pressure is on you in the public sector, you're answerable to everybody in the general public and everything that you do in your work is under scrutiny. - Claire Hughes 

I was able to improve the towns and the small villages that were in my area, and I can see where I improved the signage, the parks, the town, and putting in something simple like a basketball arena. I found it very, very rewarding working in local authorities. - Mairead Phelan 

A lot of people have mixed views or mixed opinions about what working in a local authority is. It is such a fantastic and varied career. - Claire Hughes 

There's times where I do need to step back from projects and stop looking at the big calculations and just remember that these small improvements have a dramatic change to people and are greatly welcomed. - Fergal Timlim

There is a very clear progressions layout  in place in local authorities. - Claire Hughes 

I see myself as an engineer first and foremost, a problem solver and a designer. That's all I ever wanted to be, even as a child, but nobody ever told me that it was a totally male orientated profession  - Mairead Phelan 

The simplest definition of an engineer is that we're just problem solvers. We need to explain that to the primary school students, and not that there's these gender assigned roles or stereotypes associated with engineering. We have to break them to actually get young women into engineering. - Fergal Timlin 

Every child loves a brick to play with, every child loves Lego. I've never met a child that doesn't love the box that the stuff comes in. So why are we not bringing that along through the schools and teaching? - Mairead Phelan 

KEYWORDS

#localauthorities #engineering #publicsector #housing #construction

The agriculture sector has had to embrace adaptability and innovation as it navigates new technologies and the climate crisis. 

Today we’re diving into agriculture and discovering how engineers are developing solutions for a better future in the sector. We hear about their impressive sustainability efforts and how AI and automation are playing an important role. 

Our experts today are Associate Professor and Vice Principal for Internationalisation in UCD College of Engineering & Architecture, Tom Curran, Mechanical engineer with Agrigear, Neil Pigott and Agricultural Inspector with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Robert Leonard. 

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

01:12 How the Department Of Agriculture uses engineering 

04:12 Engineering in agriculture machinery 

07:30 Current research in agriculture 

09:26 Application of robotics and automation 

14:22 Collection and analysing data from farms 

15:31 Smart farming 

17:03 Adapting the farming industry to new tech

21:40 The Ploughing Championships 

23:01 Climate change challenges for the sector 

24:48 Sustainability efforts in agriculture 

GUEST DETAILS
Tom Curran is an Associate Professor and Vice Principal for Internationalisation in UCD College of Engineering & Architecture. He leads the Horizon Europe project, BioBeo, on innovative education for the bioeconomy with 15 partners across 10 European countries. He is the Director of the UCD MSc Environmental Technology degree programme. His research interests include waste management and air quality. He is a graduate of UCD's Engineering programme, holding a BE (Ag & Food), MEngSc (Environmental Engineering) and a PhD in Biosystems Engineering. He worked in production and environmental management in the food industry for a number of years before joining as faculty in UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering.

Website: https://people.ucd.ie/tom.curran 

Social Media: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/tompcurran 

Niall Pigott is a chartered engineer with extensive experience in mechanical design and manufacturing engineering, with strong quality compliance exposure. Comprehensive knowledge of Solidworks 3D CAD (computer aided design) and Lantek Expert CAM (computer aided manufacturing) software.

Website: https://www.agrigear.ie/wheel-rim-manufacturing  

Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niall-pigott-a5131638/ 

Robert Leonard holds an honours degree in Agricultural Engineering and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering.  He completed his PhD in UCD, the focus of which was looking at the development of decision support systems for spraying potatoes against late Blight and spray drift reduction techniques. Robert joined the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in July 2002.  His role is to provide technical specifications, to support agricultural industries, that meet required standards (including legal) in respect of Construction, Health and Safety, Animal Welfare and the Environment. To promote and implement specific measures supporting environmentally sustainable agriculture and to provide specialist expertise to various divisions and offices that are charged with implementing schemes associated with grant aid for agricultural and forestry related industries.

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

The research touches on the environmental impacts of the whole chain from the farm to the fork from getting the herbs out of the fields or foreign buildings, right through to processing of the food so that it's ready for consumers to eat in a safe manner, but also in the most sustainable way as well. - Tom Curran 

The applications of robotics within agricultural engineering is really in its genesis mode and this sort of engineering will blossom in the very near future. This technology will not take away people's jobs, but it will actually enhance people's jobs. - Niall Pigott 

There's a lot of technology coming from the fertilizer and pesticide application side looking at identifying weeds, diseases, and applying pesticide just to the points of where it's at using vision control. All that information can be fed into a higher level of AI to actually get them to understand what way to apply crops and to get the best return while having the least inputs. - Robert Leonard 

I think the farming community in general is quite adaptive, they have to be. - Niall Pigott

In the future there's going to be a lot more robotic controls, but you need to be monitoring what's going on. It's not a case of just watching and letting the robots take over. The farmer needs to understand the information they're getting. - Robert Leonard 

Farming is such a long standing industry, we all need farmers to produce our food. It's like everything else, some people are resistant to change naturally. I grew up on a farm and I’m currently a part time farmer. Inspeaking to and engaging with farmers, a lot of farmers are probably the most innovative people I know - Tom Curran 

If we do a certain action, we have to take into account so many different factors; climate, nature, water, air, etc. This is a message I think that we need to communicate to the general public, how engineers and scientists are working to be more environmentally sustainable, but also to take into account changing weather patterns for the future. - Tom Curran 

KEYWORDS

#engineering #farming #agriculture #machinery #sustainability #ploughingchampionships

Engineers are incredibly innovative and ambitious, but having the right skills and mindset is key to having your ideas heard and supported. 

Through self-development and continuous learning you can make yourself stand out in the crowd. Today we find out what education options are available to engineers and what skills you need to focus on to become an invaluable pi-shaped professional. 

Our expert today is an electronic engineer who is incredibly passionate about professional development and learning. She is the former Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies and current Director of UL@Work at University of Limerick, Professor Ann Ledwith. 

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

01:09 Ann’s Start In Engineering 

05:03 How to make an impression and progress

09:19 Transversal Skills and becoming a pi-shaped professional 

13:27 The difference between management and leadership 

16:20 Advice for young engineers pursuing leadership 

18:13 Business-oriented skills for engineering 

20:30 How to approach continued learning 

21:54 Further education opportunities with UL@Work 

24:50 Learning time commitment and workplace support 

GUEST DETAILS
Professor Ann Ledwith is a graduate of N.I.H.E Limerick where she obtained a degree in Electronic Engineering.  She subsequently completed an MBA at the University of Limerick and a PhD in Managing Product Development at the University of Brighton. She has held a variety of positions at UL including Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, Director of Continuing and Professional Education, and Assistant Dean of Research (Adult and Continuing Education) with the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Currently Prof Ledwith is the Director of HCI and UL@Work, and is responsible for delivering UL’s Human Capital Initiative project, UL@Work, which aims to develop digital, industry 4.0, talent through flexible, innovative and technology-enabled, experiential learning; linking enterprise and education to form a co-designed future learning environment.  She is passionate about the role of the university in supporting regional growth and currently chairs Explore Engineering, an industry-led initiative to  increase the quality and quantity of engineering talent (apprentice, technicians and engineers) in the region.

Prof Ledwith worked for over twelve years as a Product Development Engineer and as a Manager of Product Development in small high-technology firms.  She spent 2 years managing the Centre for Project Management at the University of Limerick.  Professor Ledwith has a keen interest in work-based students and flexible learning. Throughout her academic career, she has designed and delivered part-time and blended programmes for both under- and post-graduate students on topics such as Project Management, Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Technology Management and Reliability.  Her research interests include new product development, project management, R&D management, innovation and technology management in small firms. 

Website: www.ul.ie

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-ledwith-65873a/

Further education links: 

https://www.ul.ie/gps/professionalflexible-programmes 

https://www.ul.ie/gps/microcredentials 

https://www.ul.ie/gps/springboard-courses 

https://www.ul.ie/gps/professionalflexible-programmes/apprenticeships 

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

You have to be willing to step up, you have to be willing to say, ‘Yeah, I can take charge of this project, or I can manage a few people.’ - Ann Ledwith 

When you're working with people, you need a certain amount of single mindedness and focus, but you also need to be able to bring your people along with you, you need to appreciate and listen to what people are saying. You need to have a vision, you need to be able to communicate that vision, and you need to be able to convince people that's where they want to be as well. - Ann Ledwith 

We often talk about a pi-shaped professional, you need these broad skills along the top, and then your areas of expertise. You need both if you want to be successful. - Ann Ledwith 

I think that sense of having a vision of how you want to move things forward is very important, but that's useless unless you can bring people with you - Ann Ledwith 

It is so important for job satisfaction that people can see that they've contributed to something. I think that's why people follow leaders because they feel that it's adding more meaning and more relevance to what they're doing. - Ann Ledwith 

The first thing is to let people know you're there and to let people know that you do have ambition. Very often that's the toughest step for a young engineer, we're not taught to go forward and to share your ideas like that. But I think it's very important that you make sure people realize that the potential that you have - Ann Ledwith 

One of the key things if you are getting on that journey of continuous education is to get the support from your manager. Tell them how this program is actually going to progress you, it's not just that you're getting skills, but your company is getting skills - Ann Ledwith 

KEYWORDS

#engineering #career #leadership #management #TransversalSkills #furthereducation 

Irish engineers are having a fantastic impact in global enterprise but are we nimble and innovative enough to take on the internationals?

Today we find out how engineering is fundamental to the future of enterprise in Ireland and why innovation and sustainability will be vital to our success. 

We are delighted to be joined by CEO of Enterprise Ireland, and Fellow of Engineers Ireland, Leo Clancy. 

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

01:26 Leo’s career from engineering to enterprise  
04:17 What does Enterprise Ireland do?

05:25 Engineering is fundamental to enterprise 

08:38 How Ireland stands out in a global market 

11:47 What we can learn from international companies 

14:28 Adopting an innovation mindset 

18:09 How Enterprise Ireland can help start ups 

22:58 Opportunities for Irish engineering companies

25:29 Sustainability as an opportunity and as a threat 

33:41 Future forecasting and Impact 2030 for engineering 

GUEST DETAILS
Leo Clancy is the Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Ireland, the State Agency that helps Irish companies to start, scale and grow globally. Leo graduated from Dublin Institute of Technology with a First-Class Honours degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and is a Fellow of Engineers Ireland.

Before being appointed as CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Leo was a member of the Executive Committee of IDA Ireland, the State agency for Foreign Direct Investment. There, he led the Technology sector, working extensively at up to C-level with the top global technology and services companies.

Leo spent most of his career in the telecommunications industry, working in senior management, technical and engineering roles. His most recent role was as Service Delivery Director at e|net. Prior to that, he was General Manager, Service Delivery at Ericsson Ireland.

Website: https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/about-us/our-people/executivecommitee/leo-clancy.html

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/leoclancy 

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

It was that discipline of learning about something and problem solving that I really appreciated about engineering, and I think gives you a great grounding. I've been a manager effectively now for 20 years. You never lose that engineering mindset in terms of how you approach problems, and I think it really stands to people. - Leo CLancy 

Irish companies and people have a get it done mentality. We are flexible, we know how to roll with things and problem solving is at the core of how we think about things. Ireland has always had that little bit of a scrappy edge to us, and that shouldn't be confused with low quality because it's not. Irish people are good at analyzing the problem, working out how to change the process in order to get it done, as well as delivering quality. - Leo Clancy 

I think we could certainly bring back more of that cultural respect for engineering. We need to value engineering more. - Leo CLancy 

There's some brilliant innovation going on in Ireland. And I think it's not beyond the possibility for Irish companies in various domains who are already strong on services and delivering projects to start innovating solutions within their businesses. - Leo Clancy 

We're going to see continued and vastly increasing investment in sustainability. That is certainly something that every company should be looking at, as an opportunity, but also as a threat. If companies don't have sustainability plans, and verifiable ones for their businesses, they will be out of business in three to five years. No one will buy from a company that doesn't have a good ESG plan, and that can't verify their own sustainability credentials. - Leo Clancy 

It's an absolute testament to Irish business that 2022 was a record year on exports. Irish business performed very well during the pandemic, so I'd be very optimistic about where we're going in the future. I think notwithstanding what might happen in the global markets, I think we're going to continue to see growth in Irish business exports, and growth and jobs. - Leo Clancy 

KEYWORDS

#ireland #enterpriseireland #engineers #sustainability #business #innovation

As the engineering sector continuously evolves and grows, how can you stay on top and progress in your career? 

Today we discover how leading managers achieved their ascent in the industry and what key qualities they look for in their teams. We also hear how employee wellbeing is crucial to operating a safe workplace. 

Joining us to tell us more is Director of TII’s Professional Services Division, Helen Hughes and Director of Operations with Jacobs, Jillian Bolton.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

1:21 Finding your chosen discipline
3:31 How engineering has evolved 
6:20 5G in cars of the new future 
7:57 Work/Life Balance 
10:33 How safety to changing on site 
13:40 The qualities required to move up the ladder 
17:00 The importance of being visible 
19:49 Moving into management  
24:21 Continuous learning - exhausting or exciting? 

GUEST DETAILS

Helen Hughes was appointed Director of TII’s Professional Services Division in 2015 following the establishment of Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Helen has over 30 years of experience in transport planning, project appraisal and project management and has worked in the UK, Ireland and France in the public and private sectors. Helen has been a member of TII’s Executive Team for 7 years, has 18 years’ experience with NRA and 10 years with Consulting Engineers.  She has experience in delivery of capital projects, development of strategies, policies, technical reports, road design standards, specifications, and research.

She is a Chartered Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree and a Diploma in Project Management. She has been a Council Member of Engineers Ireland and Chairperson of WITS, a voluntary organisation supporting women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

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Jillian Bolton is a Chartered Civil Engineer with 20 years’ experience in the engineering industry, predominantly supporting capital infrastructure clients in the development and construction of national infrastructure. As Regional Lead for Water Ireland & Scotland, Jillian is responsible for the continued development and growth of the region, supporting and developing an extensive team of engineering professionals within the water infrastructure sector delivering on capital investment frameworks and projects for our clients.

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/ 

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

When you start in engineering, you realize how many different disciplines there are, but they also have many different types of roles within all of those disciplines. - Jillian

The thing that's very rewarding is that you can see very visibly the difference you make. You're delivering infrastructure for the people of Ireland, so I think that's quite gratifying. Jillian mentioned the major inter urban road network that we delivered in the naughties. And that's a huge legacy for generations to come. So the love of engineering is directly related to the impact you're making, for me. - Helen 

It's the always-on culture. People are now saying that they're going to leave their mobile phones off for six hours or 12 hours to switch off. We shouldn't be always-on, we never were in the past. - Helen

I would say making sure that you're looking up, and you're looking out. It's saying yes to other things that may not be just purely in the engineering fixed fields that you're in. But it's also looking up from what you're doing at the moment. You've got to be aware of what else is going on within your organization or within your sector and even within the wider infrastructure sector - Jillian

KEYWORDS
#engineering #management #safety #wellbeing #worklifebalance