Despite widespread employment opportunities in the computer industry, parents continue to steer their children towards professions such as medicine, law and banking, one of the State's largest employers has said.
Parents who grew up in a non-computer age are often "wary about jobs in the high-tech sector," said Ms Una Halligan, public affairs manager of Hewlett Packard, based in Leixlip, Co Kildare.
She called on students who are currently considering their choices for third level through the Central Applications Office to look at computer science, information technology and engineering courses. Students have until July 1st to change their minds about what courses they want to do.
Ms Halligan is a member of the Government's Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which monitors the skills level in the economy and how it matches the education system.
Ms Halligan said: "Coming from a background of high unemployment, parents often steer children, sometimes unintentionally, into what they consider the safe jobs such as medicine, law and banking. The growth area in employment is in the new e-business, high-tech world where the rewards are high. "As parents we owe it to our children to educate ourselves about the jobs in this new world so that we can inform them of their options and allow them to select from a large range of employment opportunities," she added.
Ms Halligan said the State was not producing enough technicians, computer scientists, engineers or software developers, as these jobs were not always promoted with students during their school years.
"Some career guidance teachers are not computer literate, so they are unlikely to suggest these as career paths to students as a result," claimed Ms Halligan.
She said she would support the creation of a computer science or computer studies course at second level, including Leaving Certificate. "It would get young people psychologically prepared to deal with computers and information technology in their later careers," she said.