A Limerick hi-tech engineering company has developed a novel way of encouraging young people to consider Engineering and Science careers by offering a scholarship and internship to third level undergraduate students.
Emutex Ltd., an embedded software solutions firm based in Raheen, says the aim of its ‘Software Innovator of the Year Scholarship’ is to encourage young people to consider a career in computing in light of the significant shortfall in Engineering and Science graduates in Ireland.
Under the programme, students are being invited to apply their expertise in software and innovation to create an application using the popular Raspberry Pi embedded device. The winning idea will be selected from a shortlist of 10 entries, which will be showcased on www.emutex.com.
“During the past year, we have had to look overseas to fill 7 out of 10 job vacancies due to a shortage of suitably qualified professionals in Ireland. The skill level required is just not available here at present,” explained Mr. John Twomey, managing director, Emutex.
He added: “There is a clear need in this country to encourage young people to pursue Engineering and Science in secondary and third level education to enable them for successful careers in electronic and computer software engineering. For this reason, we have launched the first annual Scholarship programme aimed at Third Level undergraduate students in software/computing disciplines. We will cover the winning undergraduate students Third Level fees for one year, as well as offer them an internship within the company.”
Founded in 2007, Emutex is a software engineering company that specialises in the design and development of complex embedded comms software solutions. The companys software can be found in many types of devices including phone systems, advanced network routers, security firewalls, thin-client displays, alarm systems and metering devices.
Mr. Twomey said he hopes the launch of the Scholarship programme will encourage other companies to offer similar programs.
“At a time of high unemployment in Ireland, it comes as a surprise to many that software companies throughout the country are forced to look abroad for people to fill job vacancies. This is simply a result of the low numbers of Secondary School students applying for college places in computing disciplines. There seems to be a genuine disinterest among young people to pursue a career in computing. Technology is everywhere in todays world but learning about how these technologies work in a hands-on way is what will get young people excited about computing.”
The Emutex Software Innovator of the Year Scholarship scheme invites students to apply their expertise in software and innovation to create an application using the popular Raspberry Pi embedded device. This miniature computer used by hobbyists around the world is ideal for educational purposes and can be used to create anything from a robot to a home automation system (remote central heating and lighting).
All applicants will first submit their ideas on the Emutex website at www.emutex.com. From this, 10 finalists will be chosen. They will be given the device and any equipment they require to build a working prototype of their idea. All of these ideas will be showcased on the Emutex website and explained in simple terms so that they can be easily understood by all ages. Finally, the student with the best project will win the Emutex Software Innovator Of The Year Scholarship for 2013.
Visit www.emutex.com for further information.