Students from more than 100 schools nationwide gained an insight into the world of engineering yesterday, Tuesday, as 135 volunteers from ESB took part in the 'ESB Engineering Squad'.

The initiative, which is part of Engineers Week 2014, aims to promote engineering as a career choice by showcasing personal experiences of engineering and highlighting the critical role of engineering in society to school children across Ireland.

This is one of the largest ever volunteering programmes to be undertaken as part of engineers week and it reflects ESB's ongoing commitment to promoting STEM subjects as a way of ensuring that Ireland has the requisite skills to compete effectively in the future.

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In addition to schools visits, ESB is also hosting a number of events around the country including tours of Dublin Bay, Ardnacrusha, Turlough Hill and Erne power stations. ESB International will also host its annual 'Women in Engineering' event, a three day programme to encourage second level female students to consider a career in engineering.

Pat O'Doherty, Chief Executive of ESB is among those supporting the initiative. He said: "We started out with the hope of finding 85 volunteers to represent 85 years of ESB generating electricity in Ireland, however the response from our engineering staff was so positive that we easily exceeded that target. It highlights the passion that engineers have for their profession, and the recognition that we need a strong inflow of students into engineering degrees in order to deliver not only our own strategy in ESB, but also to position Ireland at the heart of the smart economy."

(CD/MH)