ABSTRACT
In Ireland’s continuing drive to modernize and industrialize, its young and educated labour force has now become one of its major selling points. This chapter looks at the reality behind that image by focusing on one key group of such young technically qualified professionals— Irish electronics engineers. Industrial success has been seen to be dependent on attracting to Ireland subsidiaries of foreign corporations which produce for the export. By the beginning of the 1980s decisions about Irish engineering education had been made which would ensure a substantial growth in the number of graduate electronics engineers. The importance of the industry’s production process as a determinant of the relative number of engineers is suggested by the clear differences between the sectors for firms that do not carry out any product innovation. Engineering education has been developed in Ireland in order to service the needs of manufacturing industry.
