Mechanical Engineering	Provided by Expert Group On Future Skills Needs
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The average person, looking around, or watching TV, might be confused as to who exactly is an engineer, when even the weekly bin collection is handled by sanitation engineers!

There are basically two types of engineer in Ireland today.  There is the professional engineer, who has taken a recognised degree in engineering, and who is a chartered member (CEng) of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland (IEI).  All such degree courses, by direction of the IEI, require an honours grade in Higher Level Mathematics.

The first year of all engineering degrees in the universities and the DIT is common to all students, with the choice of engineering discipline usually made at the end of the first year.  Most first year students take Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Engineering Drawing.  That is because the engineer is a problem solver who takes scientific principles and uses them to tackle technical problems in an effective and efficient manner.

There is also the technician engineer, who has taken an approved course in the DIT or one of the Institutes of Technology, and is an associate member (AEng) of the IEI.  The technician engineer is more focused on the practical aspects of engineering, and so the Higher Level Mathematics requirement does not apply. 

Technician programmes in the Institutes of Technology usually consist of a two-year certificate followed by a one-year diploma.  It is possible for student technician engineers to transfer to a degree programme, provided that they get a distinction in their diploma year.  In the DIT, technician programmes are taken as three-year ordinary degree courses in Engineering Technology.  These courses are not the equivalent of a four-year honours degree, and so their graduates will not be eligible to become a professional engineer, unless they do well enough in their final year to transfer to the professional degree.

The points for courses are a function of demand and as such vary from courses to course and from year to year.

Finally, it must be mentioned that engineering would not last long without engineering trades, where those who complete a FÁS approved apprentice programme work alongside technician and professional engineers, in areas such as tool making, fitting and turning, etc.

Examples of Courses

The following are some of the many Mechanical Engineering Courses available around the country (degree courses first):