# Training for the Smart Economy



## newbuild05 (28 Jan 2010)

Hi all

I have read alot recently about this new 'smart economy' that we are looking to move into but i dont really know to much about what type of jobs will be availabe in it ?

Does anyone know what type of work will be invloved in this and what type of courses people could study in order to get into this industry?


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## Sam (31 Jan 2010)

Seems to be a bit of a buzz word at the moment amongst politicians and the media. I get the impression that a lot of people (myself included) are in the same boat as yourself. My understanding is that it's jobs that require strongly educated people, such as scientific research & development, high end IT work and engineering in new fields. With that in mind there are a broad range of courses that you could do with a larger emphasis on post graduate studies.

How we're meant to go from a nation of house builders to a nation of biochemists, software developers and electronic engineers is that part that I don't understand.


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## UFC (31 Jan 2010)

I work in IT. It's still a strong industry. Lots of work for software testers and software developers.

[broken link removed]

Lots of people don't like working in IT though. Personally I love it, but it's quite an unsociable job and it requires constant concentration and continuous learning.

You can make good money though.


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## Pope John 11 (1 Feb 2010)

Sam said:


> My understanding is that it's jobs that require strongly educated people, such as scientific research & development, high end IT work and engineering in new fields. With that in mind there are a broad range of courses that you could do with a larger emphasis on post graduate studies.


 
Perhaps you could identify a few, for other AAM users to check up on.


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## Serenn (1 Feb 2010)

Hi,

I'm not sure what the 'smart' or 'knowledge' economy is actually meant to be about at all.
I know the government have some ridiculous notion that 'doubling the number of PhDs in the country' will have some miraculous knock on effect on jobs and creating indigenous industry.
However, the only benefit I can see to doubling the number of PhDs in the country is that I will have someone to make intelligent conversation with as I stand in line at the social welfare office. (I have a PhD. Chemistry, if you must know, so I'm quite knowledgeable!)
As to further education/training for the so-called future 'smart economy', I'd say avoid science and go for IT, science is dead in this country as far as I can see. The US MNC's will be avoiding this place like the plague and trying to scale back their current investments. Plus very few of them use Ireland as an R&D base, we're a manufacturing base and even then we aren't used that much for finished product, we tend to make the bulk Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API's) and ship them off somewhere else for formulation/finishing.
From what I've seen, it's the Intels that are really using Irish R&D skills, so boning up on your semi-conductor studies (theory/manufacturing/analysis) may be beneficial, it's sort of science but with a heavy engineering slant.

I may have wandered off topic here slightly so I'll finish. 

Serenn.


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## Sam (2 Feb 2010)

Serenn said:


> As to further education/training for the so-called future 'smart economy', I'd say avoid science and go for IT, science is dead in this country as far as I can see. The US MNC's will be avoiding this place like the plague and trying to scale back their current investments. Plus very few of them use Ireland as an R&D base, we're a manufacturing base and even then we aren't used that much for finished product, we tend to make the bulk Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API's) and ship them off somewhere else for formulation/finishing.
> From what I've seen, it's the Intels that are really using Irish R&D skills, so boning up on your semi-conductor studies (theory/manufacturing/analysis) may be beneficial, it's sort of science but with a heavy engineering slant.



Agreed. I have a degree in Chemical & Process Engineering and in most countries graduates with this qualification would work in a wide range of industries (oil & gas, dairy, bulk chemical production, metals, refining, food & beverage, water treatment, waste treatment, power, renewables) but here in Ireland all of these industries are tiny in comparison to the pharmaceutical market with the result that over 80% of my class are now working in jobs related to this industry. For such a broad based degree to be dominated by one single industry shows how lopsided the long term economic strategy in this country has been with regards to manufacturing. In other words, if the pharma companies start pulling out the same was as the electronic assembly plants have been doing, then this country is going to be in even bigger trouble.



Pope John 11 said:


> Perhaps you could identify a few, for other AAM users to check up on.



As stated in the previous post you can't really go wrong with anything IT based (if nothing else, you can pretty much work anywhere in the world with it) but if you want to go with an engineering qualification then look into the new sustainable energy courses that are popping up everywhere (wind/solar/wave technology) or water and waste water treatment. Neither of these are creating much jobs at the moment but I believe both will take off in the next few years. In terms of scientific research places like the Tyndall institute in Cork are doing a lot of cutting edge work in the field of nanotechnology.


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## Purple (2 Feb 2010)

Hi Sam,

You're ignoring the 10'000 odd people working in the area of cardio-vascular stents and catheters.
There’s Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Abbott and a Johnson&Johnson company all working in that area in the West.
Then there’s dozens of small Irish owned SME’s supplying them and their competition worldwide.  is a good example of a small Irish company that has grown into a world player.
You are also ignoring the implant/artificial joint manufacturers such as DePuy, Zimmer and Stryker who employ around 2000 between them and provide many thousands of jobs in their supply chain.
Then there’s the tens of thousands of people working in other high level medical device manufacturing and R&D jobs in Irish and foreign owned companies who supply a worldwide market. Manufacturing and engineering is not dead in Ireland, but it has to be knowledge based. We were a supply hub but that day has gone, how we have to not just add value, we have to originate the value. Pharma companies that are just processing bulk chemicals and availing of low taxes will move their operations sooner or later. Those that do their R&D here will stay longer.


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## newbuild05 (2 Feb 2010)

Sam said:


> Agreed. I have a degree in Chemical & Process Engineering and in most countries graduates with this qualification would work in a wide range of industries (oil & gas, dairy, bulk chemical production, metals, refining, food & beverage, water treatment, waste treatment, power, renewables) but here in Ireland all of these industries are tiny in comparison to the pharmaceutical market with the result that over 80% of my class are now working in jobs related to this industry. For such a broad based degree to be dominated by one single industry shows how lopsided the long term economic strategy in this country has been with regards to manufacturing. In other words, if the pharma companies start pulling out the same was as the electronic assembly plants have been doing, then this country is going to be in even bigger trouble.
> 
> 
> 
> As stated in the previous post you can't really go wrong with anything IT based (if nothing else, you can pretty much work anywhere in the world with it) but if you want to go with an engineering qualification then look into the new sustainable energy courses that are popping up everywhere (wind/solar/wave technology) or water and waste water treatment. Neither of these are creating much jobs at the moment but I believe both will take off in the next few years. In terms of scientific research places like the Tyndall institute in Cork are doing a lot of cutting edge work in the field of nanotechnology.


 
Thanks for all the feedback folks. I know it was a pretty open ended question and a hard one to answer. It seems to be a buzz word from the government with no real outline of what it actually involes.

Sam, I am interested in the sustainable energy side of things and would like to maybe do some courses in it but most i have seen are full time where as at the moment i could only do a part time course.  

Would anyone know of any part time courses in sustainable energy close to the midlands ?


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## Sam (2 Feb 2010)

newbuild05 said:


> Sam, I am interested in the sustainable energy side of things and would like to maybe do some courses in it but most i have seen are full time where as at the moment i could only do a part time course.
> 
> Would anyone know of any part time courses in sustainable energy close to the midlands ?



Given your constraints perhaps you should consider the open university


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## newbuild05 (3 Feb 2010)

Sam said:


> Given your constraints perhaps you should consider the open university


 
Thanks sam
i will look at these, although the difference between the prices for the uk and ROI are mad


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## BONDGIRL (21 Feb 2010)

UFC, I agreeI see a lot of jobs in sofware testing etc. I am currently more in IT support myself, currently unemployed..looking around.. if I wanted to move into this part of IT what is the best thing to do next? any advice appreciated!


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## ajapale (21 Feb 2010)

Thinking laterally here for a moment. 

I have noticed a defecit of commentators, journalists, broadcasters ect who are 'literate' in a technological sense.

If you have an interest in writing and communications as well as an interest in "the smart economy" why not consider a career in journalism specialising in technology?

This would be analogous to someone who was interested in sport persuing a career in sports journalism.


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## UFC (21 Feb 2010)

BONDGIRL said:


> UFC, I agreeI see a lot of jobs in sofware testing etc. I am currently more in IT support myself, currently unemployed..looking around.. if I wanted to move into this part of IT what is the best thing to do next? any advice appreciated!


 
If I were you, this is what I would do...

I would learn a language like C#. I would then contribule to open-source projects to get real world experience, and I would also do little jobs on websites like scriptlance.com to help pad out my CV. I would write programming articles for websites, and I would maintain a C# blog and perhaps write an impressive open source application which would look good on my CV.

Basically, I would be doing my best to hide my lack of experience!


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## Purple (14 Apr 2010)

[broken link removed] We're only playing at it...


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