Engineers Ireland says there is still a shortage of engineers here, despite a rise in the numbers choosing to study the area at third level.

Today is the start of Engineers Week, which aims to inspire the next generation of engineers. Events will be held across the country aiming to "spark enthusiasm about the engineering profession".

Engineers Ireland is using this year's campaign to highlight the creative and curious aspects of the profession, and volunteers will be visiting schools around the country as part of the week-long event.

Spokesperson Damien Owens says engineering is of huge importance to the economy and the sector needs to be promoted:

A report in 2013 found that the ratio of men to women in engineering is 9:1, and Engineering Ireland is making efforts this week to highlight that it is a profession for men and women.

Regina Moran - president of the organisation - said that "our hyper-connected world and big data are just some of the trends that will impact on engineering and will affect how we as engineers come together to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.

"If we are to leverage all this potential, we will need many more highly skilled engineers, both men and women,” she added.