Mick Kelly discusses how a third-level education can make a huge difference to an individual’s career. 

Is it possible to get a good job in Ireland without a degree? Most experts agree that as Ireland increasingly focuses on the knowledge economy, third-level qualifications are more important than ever for employees.

Booming sectors such as construction offer young school leavers the opportunity to make lots of money and ignore further education. But Peter Brown, programme manager with the Higher Education Authority (HEA), believes they would be foolish to ignore the long-term benefits a degree provides.

“For long-term stable employment, a degree is more important than ever. Without it, you are more vulnerable to downturns and shifts in sectoral priorities,” he says.

Those shifts are already evident. “Construction is buoyant at the moment and is providing opportunities that do not require degrees, but we will see our dependence on construction begin to lessen. Manufacturing also provides a lot of jobs that don’t require degrees but that is now moving out of Ireland,” he says.

Sheila Byrne, work placement officer in University College Cork, believes that knowledge economy employers see a degree as a basic prerequisite. “It’s almost the new Leaving Cert. You tend to need a degree for jobs that traditionally wouldn’t have required it; such as call centres and office administration,” she says.

The quality of qualifications is also increasingly important. “In the past five years students are using honours degrees, postgrads, masters and PhDs to give themselves an edge in the employment market”.

Fiona Mullan, human resources manager with Microsoft, says a primary degree is a prerequisite for all starter roles with the company. “It’s just the reality of the market. We live in a knowledge economy where information and learning are crucial skills.
The best way a candidate can demonstrate those skills to Microsoft is by having a degree,” she says.
Ciara Lynch, Intel’s external relations manager, says employees are encouraged to continue their education while in employment. “For example, we have employees with a cert or diploma who wish to obtain a degree and employees with a degree who wish to add to their qualifications.”

Dell public relations manager, Annette Condon, says they do have examples of technicians being hired who have come from FÁS training courses and have been hired because they show a passion and talent for technology, “but this would be the exception rather than the rule and even then they would be encouraged to undertake further education while employed with us”.

Case Study — Ranks ahead

Andrew Tyrrell joined Intel in 1992 with only a Leaving Cert under his belt but has worked his way up from the organisation’s warehouse to a senior management role.
“After three years in the warehouse, I moved to a lowly purchasing position and I completed a diploma at night,” he says.

Having moved up through the ranks in the purchasing division, Tyrrell was appointed global wireless contracts manager in 2005. He also began a degree in people
management as part of Intel’s education programme.

“Intel funds it and the lectures and exams are held onsite. It’s an intensive compressed degree that you do in 11 months. I hope to have good results from that soon.”
While his lack of a degree clearly hasn’t hindered his progression through the ranks, Tyrrell believes he will have more options with the qualification.

“I’m probably the only one in my department that doesn’t have a primary degree. I think the degree will stand me in good stead.”

He also believes his story would be unlikely to be repeated in today’s employment market. “It would be difficult for someone to climb up through the ranks now.”