Thirty employers attended a Built Environment Careers Fair at Atlantic Technological University’s Galway City campus recently.
They highlighted that short of graduates in different built environment fields will impact our ability to tackle the climate emergency and deliver critical housing and infrastructure.
Employers met and engaged with students from Architectural Technology, Civil Engineering, Construction Management and Quantity Surveying degree programmes about new graduate opportunities and placement positions.
All programmes in the Department of Building and Civil Engineering offer placement opportunities to students in the third year of their studies.
These work placements enhance the student learning experience and ensure students have valuable experience prior to entering the workplace and increases their employment prospects.
John Hanahoe, Senior Lecturer, ATU Dept of Building & Civil Engineering said, “Many of the employers attending the event highlighted the shortage in suitably qualified graduates to work in all sectors of the built environment sector.”
“Because of the shortage of graduates, the starting salaries and employment conditions for graduates have increased significantly to try to attract skilled professionals.”
A major shift in focus in built environment programmes in ATU Galway in the last decade is the focus on sustainability and tackling the climate emergency.
Dr Shane Newell added, “Graduates entering the construction sector will be at the coalface tackling climate change and this makes it a very rewarding and exciting time to be entering the profession”.
ATU Galway offers Ordinary Degree (Level 7) and Honours Degree (Level 8) programmes in Architectural Technology, Civil Engineering, Construction Management and Quantity Surveying.
For more details on these programmes in the ATU Dept of Building & Civil Engineering, see: https://www.gmit.ie/schools-campuses/school-of-engineering/department-of-building-civil-engineering
