Engineering is a technology-based subject that aims to develop students’ technical skills and knowledge in an Engineering context. The subject has three elements. In their Leaving Certificate year, students design and make a project to a prescribed design brief. This promotes initiative and creativity in the planning and development of technological projects. A separate practical exam at the end of the year tests the students’ skills at manufacturing components from a detailed working drawing. In the theory component of the course students study such topics as metal-joining processes, polymers, materials testing, manufacturing processes, machining, electronics and mechanisms.

Engineering at Leaving Certificate level follows on from and builds on the work done in Materials Technology Metal in the Junior Certificate. In Coachford College, students spend approximately 50% of their class time on practical work and 50% on theory, reflecting the allocation of marks in the Leaving Certificate examination.