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Mid West Limerick for Engineering Showcase 2018 Mid West Limerick for Engineering Showcase 2018

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Mid West Limerick for Engineering Showcase 2018 Opens Up Endless Career Possibilities to all Students

Orlaith Cotter (right)  pictured with Noelle Maguire, Stryker at last year’s Limerick for Engineering.  The Mid West Limerick for Engineering Showcase 2018 takes place in Shannon Airport on March 8 from 6 pm to 9 pm. Picture: Alan Place.

Mid West Limerick for Engineering Showcase 2018 Opens Up Endless Career Possibilities to all Students

When Orlaith Cotter from Clare attended the Mid West Limerick for Engineering Showcase last year she learned one valuable lesson, there is no limit to what she can achieve and aspire to do in the field of engineering. Just 12 months on, she is studying General Engineering at the University of Limerick.

The Mid West Limerick for Engineering Showcase 2018 will take place again on March 8 in Shannon Airport, from 6 pm to 9 pm, and just like last year will offer students the opportunity to meet more than 30 Mid West companies (indigenous and multinational); view their most cutting-edge technologies, witness demonstrations by their full-time engineers and receive first hand information about this exciting and ever developing career path.


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“I went to the showcase last year with my mother. There was a lot of interest in science in my class but only one person interested in engineering, and that was me,” explained Orlaith. “I had a number of concerns before visiting the showcase, not least that I might be at a disadvantage as I did not have a foundation in engineering. I attended an all-girls secondary school and the subject was not taught there. But I knew I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else so I had to try.

“The showcase clarified a lot for me. I went down with the idea of doing chemical engineering, as I was studying chemistry for my Leaving Cert, but I soon learned from the graduates and company engineers I met, that most companies prefer students who have studied a more general course.  With a more general course you are able to adapt to a different form of engineering and it opens up more career possibilities. It definitely changed my vision of a career in engineering, and even let me think about a career in mechanical engineering. As a woman, I feared I may be ruled out of this option due to the physical aspect, but at Limerick for Engineering I met a female mechanical engineer who explained there are so many elements to mechanical engineering.

“It was also really encouraging to meet so many women working in different areas of engineering. They were great role models and frankly I wouldn’t believe that a career in all areas of engineering was open to me if I heard it from a man,” continued Orlaith. “A lot of girls are going into different careers because they aren’t encouraged into this field, or the option may not be available to them at second level education. To meet all these engineers, both male and female, was very inspiring and encouraging.”

Joining the companies at the Mid West Limerick for Engineering Showcase 2018 at Shannon Airport on March 1 will be representatives from Limerick Institute of Technology, the University of Limerick, the Limerick Clare ETB and Griffith College to outline the various courses and routes that are available to students, and provide information on interesting engineering careers in the Mid-West.

To read more stories on the Limerick for Engineering showcase, go here.

For more information on the Limerick for Engineering showcase, go here.

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.