Provision of useful content, including content optimised for the mobile market, such as travel and routing information, has a growing value. With the growth in e-commerce and flexible access expertise in security will be at a premium in the coming years. As well as teaching skills and imparting knowledge the education system in Ireland can better serve the community by developing a few essential attitudes. One ingredient in today s successful companies is a market driven attitude. Everyone involved in the process of delivering value to the customers must appreciate why they are doing whatever they are doing and how it contributes to meeting the customers needs.
Teamwork is essential.
Problem solving is often best carried out by multi-disciplinary teams. These bright, well educated people need the communications skills which will be essential for them to make their mark and to play an effective role in their teams. When we have gone to great trouble and expense training engineers and other useful people, we often allow them to be recruited into so many jobs where their new skills will be peripheral at best. This is mainly to do with status - there is a tendency to undervalue engineers which must be fought against if all our efforts in providing the right education is not to be wasted.