For any organisation, the availability of highly skilled and talented individuals is key, says Dr Ciarán Seoighe, deputy director general, Science Foundation Ireland.
“Multinationals can support the promotion of science, technology, engineering and math (Stem) by highlighting the tremendous opportunities available to Stem-qualified individuals now and into an unknown future,” says Seoighe.
“One of the things we’ve seen throughout recent history is that the introduction of new technologies enables humans to move further up the value chain – be it from agriculture to the industrial revolution to the computer age and so on. Now, with the advent of big data, machine learning, artificial Intelligence and deep analytics, we need to ask ourselves, how do we best prepare people for the future of work?”
Seoige says a key point to make in the multinationals and Stem conversation is that, in short, multinationals need people and new knowledge. They are crying out for talent. They need people with strong skills in areas such as climate change and the enormous, preparatory process that is required for that, across all industries.
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“Multinationals’ demand for critical talent is far outstripping current supply in areas like climate adaptation and digital transformation,” says Seoighe.
Multinationals are pivotal in the drive for more Stem education, especially women in Stem and the promotion of access programmes into university Stem avenues, says Derek Collins, director of industry engagement and collaboration, Huawei Ireland Research Centre.
“There are many household global brands with their Europe, Middle East and Africa headquarters based in Ireland, not only contributing to the exchequer but enhancing the talent pool of young educated innovators too,” says Collins.
“We must never lose the focus of making Ireland the most attractive destination for students to come and work, play and study here. Yes, there are challenges with housing, cost of living and doctoral researchers’ stipend funding – although [that was] recently increased by the Government – but a more comprehensive, collaborative role between multinationals and Stem academia is a must for our competitive survival.”
Over the past number of decades Ireland has become a leading global pharmaceutical and digital information technology hub, says Malcolm Garde, site head, AbbVie Cork.
“If the country is to maintain this important position on the worldwide stage, it needs to continue to focus on educating our student population about the advantages of a career in Stem-related employment,” he adds.
In 2017, in partnership with other interested groups, AbbVie published the Stem Paths report, exploring barriers to engagement in science-related subjects and careers in Ireland. The document highlighted the negative impact that low levels of Stem student interest might have on Ireland’s high-value pharma, biopharma and medical technology sectors. To help address this issue, AbbVie has developed several initiatives that encourage greater student awareness of the rewarding career opportunities that can be unlocked by studying Stem subjects.
Back to School for Stem is a school outreach focused on promoting science role models from the Irish workplace. The initiative sees employees from AbbVie’s six Irish locations visit schools, including those they studied at, to talk about their jobs and the difference their work makes to wider society.
“Ireland has a highly developed employee talent base but the global market is very competitive,” says Garde. “As an innovation-based company, we need to continuously engage with parents, teachers, schools and others to highlight the broad range of high-quality opportunities that come from studying Stem disciplines. It’s our job to inspire the next generation of Stem workers and enthusiasts.”
The continuous and accelerating pace of technological advancement will probably continue, says Seoighe.
“There is a very strong possibility that the advent of serious computing power and artificial intelligence (AI) will not only be a change in its own right but will also be an enabler of additional change. For example, there are thousands of academic papers published daily. No researcher can keep up with that level of new knowledge.
“Consequently, it’s entirely possible that there are solutions out there that people aren’t seeing because they are in different fields. AI might be able to enable the accelerated discovery of new innovations. If one combines a discovery in one field with a discovery in another field and human ingenuity, who knows what solutions we might generate? AI may be able to help us make these connections and unlock even more potential from the work of researchers.”