Twelve Irish graduates are to spend six weeks this summer at the Florida Space Institute as part of a FÁS initiative to boost interest in science.
The programme is the first of a planned series of initiatives developed by FÁS in consultation with the Kennedy Space Centre and the Florida Space Institute.
In a related development, a lecturer at Limerick Institute of Technology, Ms Michelle McKeon, is to spend a year working in Florida with the US space agency, NASA.
Ms McKeon, who hopes to become the first Irish astronaut, has carried out research in the area of hydroponics - the growing of plants without soil.
Her discoveries could help facilitate longer-distance space travel by advancing the use of plants on board space missions to produce food and at the same time, dispose of human waste.
The 12 graduates who will undergo six weeks of training at the Florida Space Institute met the Taoiseach yesterday at a reception in Dublin.
Mr Ahern said the programme developed by FÁS and the space institute provided a unique opportunity for Irish science, engineering and technology graduates.
Mr Roddy Molloy, director general of FÁS, said the programme was vital if the demands of Irish industry were to be met. "There is growing concern over the fact that students at second- and third- level are turning away from the physical sciences, engineering and computer courses," he said.
"This has the potential to undermine Ireland's current leading position in attracting foreign direct investment in the high-tech sectors."