Each year, Engineers Ireland awards an individual or organisation for raising public awareness of potential careers in science, engineering and technology.

This year, the award went to the Galway Education Centre for its initiative in providing courses and funding projects for primary and post-primary educators across the fields of science, engineering and technology.

To become a top five global economy by 2020, Ireland must have a year-on-year increase of 7pc in the number of engineering graduates produced, Jim Browne, president-elect of Engineers Ireland, said at the awards ceremony.

“The continued promotion of engineering and science to our primary and post-primary school students is crucial to increase the uptake of engineering at third level.”

Founded in 1973, the Galway Education Centre provides courses for educators across the county to help teachers incorporate digital media, the interactive whiteboard and interactive science experiments as part of the classroom curriculum.

The Centre has supported projects such as the Galway Science & Technology Festival, and it has responsibility for implementing the Department of Education’s T4 technology subjects support service for the senior cycle.

“We have been working closely with a wide range of organisations from the education, industrial and scientific sectors in the west of Ireland for a long number of years, in order to spread the word about the importance of science and engineering to the future of the region and the country,” said Bernard Kirk, director of the Galway Education Centre

The award meant a lot to the centre and gave encouragement for the future, he added.