Your education questions answered by Brian Mooney

My daughter is in her final year in school and while she seems to be doing a reasonable amount of study in chemistry and biology, her two science subjects, she seems to be more focused on her other five subjects - French, business, maths, English and Irish. She has average interest in science and is generally good with technical things, but is unsure about what career she will pursue after she finishes school next June. She has just brought home her CAO application form, which is to be filled out by the end of next January, and while she is interested in doing science, I am unsure on how to advise her regarding career opportunities in the area. I would welcome your advice.

Firstly, your daughter seems to have a genuine interest in science, having chosen to take two subjects in the Leaving Certificate. This will give her a wide range of options at third level upon successful completion of her examinations.

Overall, the prospects for students who study science, engineering or technology subjects at third level are good, both in terms of career prospects in Ireland and abroad.

While there was a dip in these sectors over the past two to three years, demand following increased investment by industry is picking up again.

There was also a virtual halt in the recruitment at graduate level in certain areas, which caused many families to advise their children not to apply for courses in those fields of study. The growth has now generally returned and this is opening up more and more opportunities for graduates with a suitable qualification and for suitably qualified people who are currently working in other sectors.

A recent analysis of the future skills needs and opportunities in the science, IT, biotechnology and engineering sectors, indicates strong prospects for candidates with a suitable third-level qualification. The drive to create an innovation- and knowledge-based economy will also create significant opportunities for those with the prerequisite qualifications.

It is expected that at current levels, the supply of suitably qualified people will meet the demand, but that towards the latter half of this decade demand may well outstrip supply. For example, it is anticipated that employment in the ICT sector will grow by up to 11 per cent a year between 2004 and 2010. So now is a good time to choose a science, technology or engineering course.

Like all other sectors, there are certain career options where there are greater or lesser opportunities at present, however this is cyclical and science, technology and engineering graduates have a wide range of options and future careers to choose from.

Research among employers has also shown that employers in many areas now look for more multi-disciplined employees such as those with a science-, technology- or engineering-based qualification. That is, a student with a business qualification with some background or further qualification in, for example, information technology will have increased flexibility of choice when seeking a job.

Students should look at all the various courses available. There are strong opportunities for graduates at higher and ordinary degree and National Certificate levels. In the short term the supply of some types of graduates may exceed demand, but it is generally believed that there will be a shortage for the majority of technical disciplines in the longer term. An example of this is that there may be a shortage of graduates with ordinary degrees and National Certificates in civil engineering if the current trend of college applications continues.

The sciences also provide a good grounding for students who opt for other careers when they complete their studies. For example, Lisa Burke of Sky weather, who studied science, has said that her science qualification gave her exciting options she might not have considered at the start of her studies.

Students should discuss the career and study opportunities in science, engineering and technology with their guidance counsellor prior to completing their CAO application form. There are many excellent and exciting courses being offered across our third-level institutions.

The website www.science.ie contains good information on science, careers and has lots of other useful sections such as an overview of the activities for this year's Science Week, which runs until Friday, November 14th.

Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. E-mail questions to bmooney@irish-times.ie