There was a huge demand for qualified graduates across all sectors of the construction industry at a recent GMIT Jobs Fair.
Over 20 employers from Ireland and the UK came to the careers fair looking for “Architects, Architectural Technicians, Civil Engineers, Site Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Project Managers, and all positions throughout the wider Construction industry.”
That’s according to GMIT lecturer Shane Newel who said that The Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index showed a surge in jobs growth in March to meet growing demand in the industry.
“Because of the shortage of graduates, the starting salaries and employment conditions for graduates have increased significantly to try to attract skilled professionals,” Mr Newell explains.
GMIT offers Ordinary Degree (Level 7) and Honours Degree (Level 8) programmes in Architectural Technology, Civil Engineering, Construction Management and Quantity Surveying.
Final years students from the Department of Building & Civil Engineering in GMIT attended the recent Jobs Fair and spoke to the employers about future employment positions.
Shane Newell said that The ‘Engineering 2019 report published by Engineers Ireland last month shows that the supply of civil and building engineers must dramatically increase to meet future needs.
“Almost all (94%) engineering employers surveyed however consider a shortage of experienced engineers to be a barrier to growth – and almost half expect this situation to get worse in 2019,” adds Mr Newell.
“Civil and building engineers are most in demand with 59% of organisations surveyed looking to hire engineers in this discipline.”
