Why Ireland Is Failing The Irish

You need only to glance at your Facebook newsfeed, to see that emigration figures among young Irish people are astounding. After a humbling fall from grace, the echo of the celtic tiger is barely audible over the sound of jet engines carrying Ireland’s workforce off to multiple countries and continents. Inspired by ghost towns, over populated dole queues, a three month stint in teaching, and a fledgling undergraduate that was neither use nor ornament, it struck me that something, somewhere has gone terribly wrong in Ireland. 

Tragically, I’m not alone in my awe of the awfulness regarding employment opportunities and educational insufficiencies which seem to have plagued the home land. After discussions with various friends, family, Irish and otherwise, I’ve discovered that we have a major problem...one that no one seems to be talking about. So in true Ellen Mclaughlin style, I’ve decided to challenge the surrogacy role that has become accepted in Ireland, and represent an upcoming workforce faced with a problematic professional pursuit. Admittedly some of my comments may be specific to my own personal experience, but they’re generic enough to that they are also applicable to the majority of young aspiring professionals.  

I start with an alarming truth. I’ve calculated that after I finish this Masters degree my brain will roughly be worth around £36 thousand pounds. That’s not intended to be a boastful statement, but it is a disgraceful one. After hours spent filling out endless job applications asking me about my professional experience, I find myself seriously doubting the value of third level education (sorry mum and dad !). Somewhere between a professional sector that values experience over academia, and an education system that disregards practical skills in favour of academics, the irony of a contradicting employment climate has not been lost on me or the millions of other young Irish people in the same position.

What’s most striking about the Irish conundrum is the extent to which the Irish secondary school system is hindering the professional progression of our students. Teaching content is light years away from anything that resembles transferable skills or knowledge.  I don’t think I’m being overly dramatic when I say we're setting our young people up to fail.  IT for example, is not given any kind of precedence in a culture that conducts almost everything through technology. Highlighted as one of the most important skills in any profession, surely you’d expect that we would be equipping our kids with a little something more than a half hearted attempt at ECDL. In addition to this deficiency lies another, namely a stifling range of subjects which are about as engaging as an interactive wet paint observation. God forbid, that we might also introduce some variety into a curriculum that is still stuck in the 1960’s. For example making physical education an examinable subject, for me, seems like a small but highly effective way of engaging students who would benefit from a more vocational avenue, or as a popular option for those wishing to explore a potential career in the lucrative sport and health industry. 

The scariest observation I made during my 6 years in Irish secondary school education is the complete absence of career guidance. I distinctly remember two classes a week during 4th and 5th year filling out personality tests, but I’m not quite sure how that helped to equip me with the knowledge I needed to make informed career choices that affected my future forever. How can we holistically develop young people and their future professional endeavours when we don’t offer them any meaningful advice or practical work experience? And for those pupils doing four honours or less...you must be still coughing up dust after being swept under the rug for so long.

DIY Education

Although we desperately need to think about educational reform as a way of advancing our domestic interests and re-establishing Ireland as hub of economic and social activity, we also need to take individual action towards vocational experience. In the interim it takes the Irish education system to receive a rather large boot up the tóin, there is no better school of learning than the school of life. The best advice I could give anyone, young or old is get as much experience from as diverse array of professions as physically possible. Whether you’re washing dishes or presenting in a board room, every opportunity has something to offer. Some of the greatest skills I have ever developed stem from my experience as a waitress. Communication and people skills are two of the most undervalued yet important life skills you will ever learn, and an ability to talk and approach people has got me further than any certificate ever has. Admittedly some opportunities don’t come with a pay packet, but they’re worth their weight in gold. Experience is the ultimate tradable commodity. The thing that separates the motivated from the mediocre is putting yourself out there and asking someone to give you a chance to shine. Some of the greatest advice I’ve ever received is to find something you’re interested in and let that guide you. My own ambitions have always centred around a love of people, a passion for English and an interest in Sport. This very blog was inspired by a refusal to take no for an answer. When you can’t even get your local papers to give you an opportunity, a girl has to take matters into her own hands. 

While a sorry excuse of an education system and a certain level of individual accountability needs to take some of the heat, so does the overarching employment sector. Ireland’s employment circumstances are only ever going to be improved internally. We need a proactive employer attitude that aims to keep our highly talented workforce by offering them opportunity and pre-existing development. While I have any potential employers reading this, I would implore you to give people an opportunity to learn, young and established...even if its only for a few weeks. 

Which rather beautifully brings me back to the original subject of emigration. Although this blog doesn’t address what the future holds for those of us seeking opportunity elsewhere, I hope it highlights the need to help the students we have in our classrooms and lecture halls. It is their influx of skill, talent and innovation, which not only has the potential to help us recover from a recession, but they’re going to personify the celtic tiger of the future. And more than attracting any multi-national company, that’s the real investment worth pursuing for Ireland.

From Generation Emigration with love,