Engineers Ireland has urged a review of planned changes to the senior-cycle mathematics curriculum, arguing that any reform must preserve the depth of learning required for engineering and other STEM pathways.

The call follows new independent research commissioned by the organisation, which indicates that, if demand continues to grow at the pace of the past decade, the island of Ireland could face a yearly shortfall of up to 6,000 engineers and engineering technicians by 2030.

Engineers Ireland said the quality of maths education is now a strategic national issue: Ireland needs more young people to consider engineering, and those who choose it must arrive at third level with the foundations to succeed.

While supporting efforts to make maths more engaging and to strengthen problem-solving, the body warned that elements of the proposed curriculum risk narrowing the depth and breadth of learning—particularly in algebra, spatial and abstract reasoning, analytical methods and mathematical proof.

These concerns, it added, are grounded in practice: such knowledge underpins success in engineering and other maths-intensive courses.

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Engineering educators already report that some students who score well in Higher Level Maths in the Leaving Certificate still reach third level without sufficient mastery of key concepts, adding pressure for students and lecturers and making the transition more difficult.

Dr Keith Sunderland, Registrar at Engineers Ireland, said: "Ireland needs more engineers, and that means encouraging more young people into the profession and giving them the best possible chance of succeeding when they get there.

"Mathematics is fundamental to engineering. We support efforts to make it engaging and focused on problem-solving, but this cannot come at the expense of mathematical depth and rigour.

"A strong Leaving Certificate result should give a student confidence that they have developed the mathematical foundations needed to progress to a demanding third-level course.

"We need to be certain that the proposed curriculum will deliver that.

"This matters far beyond the engineering profession. Ireland needs engineers to deliver the homes, energy, water, transport and other infrastructure required by a growing population, as well as to support many of the industries on which our economy depends. Our recent research shows that the island of Ireland could face an annual shortfall of up to 6,000 engineers and engineering technicians by 2030. Strengthening the pipeline into engineering must therefore be a national priority.

"As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in education, engineering and the workplace, strong analytical and critical-thinking skills will become more important, not less. Curriculum reform should equip students for that future."

Engineers Ireland noted that previous curriculum changes have not consistently delivered the intended gains in mathematical problem-solving, and said lessons from those reforms should inform the current process before altering the depth and breadth of content available to senior-cycle students.

It is calling for the proposals to be benchmarked against high-performing international maths curricula, and for their likely impact on students progressing to engineering and other mathematics-intensive third-level programmes to be fully assessed before the new curriculum is finalised.