Ms Claire McGee:

I wholeheartedly agree with everything Ms McMahon has said. Young babies are already playing with STEM-related disciplines, they just do not have the language and their parents do not have the language around it. What we are trying to do through our education system is inculcate inquiry-based learning so they have the opportunity to engage with it. It is not a matter of saying, "Ireland needs X number of software engineers by 2030". It is about how we facilitate an inquiry-based mind and the growth mindset that is facilitated to it.

The research suggests that females and girls actually close down opportunities around STEM careers as young as ages seven to ten. We communicate with young school children about careers and we may bring people into the classroom. We talk about traditional career profiles. Maybe now is the time to broaden those out. We in IBEC often say - as do other business organisations - that many of the jobs have not yet been created. We cannot say with any definite accuracy what the jobs of the future will be. We just need to create the opportunity for people to fulfil their career ambitions.

There is no right or wrong answer on this. It is about providing the opportunity within the curriculum and outside the curriculum to be curious about all opportunities into the future, as well as making sure the pathways are available. I mentioned single-sex schools in particular, where some subjects are not even on offer, such as technology. We are therefore closing off the opportunities for people, particularly girls, to do those subjects. Therefore, it will be impossible for them to do them at a tertiary education level. We therefore need to have a discussion at an earlier stage. However, I do not think it should be couched in terms such as "X number of these jobs need to be filled by this time". It is about creating the opportunity and the pathway.