News & Events July 2026

Engineering the South East Conference & Expo

15th October, SETU Arena Waterford

Engineering the South East are delighted to announce our flagship event, Engineering the South East Conference and Expo, formerly Toys 4 Engineers, is taking place on Thursday 15th October from 10am to 4pm at SETU Arena, Waterford.

This event is designed to reflect the strength and diversity of the engineering and manufacturing sector across the South East, and we have expanded the format to create even greater value for exhibitors and visitors.

This years Expo will have some interesting new additions that will bring great opportunites for your companies, so make sure you are following us on Linkedin to catch all our updates.

Please note that this is a Cluster event and therefore we need strong representation from our Cluster Companies across the Southeast. Whether that be exhibiting, speaking or just visiting to find out what others are doing then please do register your interest.

Our new dedicated website contains loads more information and is ready to go. Check it out here

Book your Spot on our Engineering Simulation Morning

27th August, Kilkenny

Engineering the South East Cluster is partnering up with the team in SEAM (South East Applied Materials) to deliver a focused engineering training morning in the niche topic of engineering simulations. Discover how leading engineering teams use simulation to solve problems before they become costly. This practical morning workshop introduces the power of FEA and CFD through real-world case studies and live demonstrations. Learn how simulation reduces design risk, shortens development cycles, improves product performance and cuts prototyping costs. The aim is to give you a clear understanding of when to use simulation, what value it delivers and how it can give your organisation a competitive advantage.

Location - KCETB College, Purcellsinch, Co. Kilkenny R95 X0RN

Date - August 27th, 9.30 - 11am

Details here. Click here to register

Engineering Careers Fair 2026

Engineering the South East are once again organising SETU Carlow’s Engineering Careers Morning on Thursday 5th November on Carlow Campus from 10:00am to 1:00pm. The key objective of these events is to offer companies an opportunity to exhibit and meet our students face to face where they can explore fulltime recruitment or work placement/internship openings.  

This is a faculty wide event and will include all engineering undergraduate and postgraduate students. With 700+ Engineering students we expect a healthy footfall at the events so participating companies will have plenty of interaction.

Places are limited so please register using this link. Click here for more information including a list of all the specific courses that will be represented on the day.

Great Opportunity to Upskill in “Industrial Measurement & Control”

Upcoming Course on Corrosion for the Engineering Sector

SETU and EuroMIC will be running a very informative and relevant two day course this coming September. The course focusses on understanding and preventing Microbiological Influenced Corrosion (MIC) and should be of interest to many of our regional metal fabricators, precision manufacturing companies and mechanical/pipework providers.

MIC is responsible for an estimated 20% of all corrosion failures and is particularly prevalent in water and wastewater, oil and gas and marine industries, with costs of failed tanks and pipelines reaching billions annually.

We are currently looking for expressions of interest and cluster members will be able to claim 50% of the cost to attend. 

Click here for more info 

Get to know your Regional Senior Training Advisor

Are you looking for help or advice in terms of training staff or taking on apprentices?

Waterford Wexford Education & Training Board (WWETB) Training Advisors work with engineering businesses to identify skill gaps, improve workforce capability and access funded training opportunities. They provide impartial advice on upskilling existing employees, developing customised training plans and connecting businesses with accredited programmes in areas such as advanced manufacturing, automation, digitalisation, leadership and sustainability.

WWETB have a new initiative to make sure that local companies know their correct point of contact. Click here for details

Cyber Ireland National Conference - September 22nd, Lyrath Kilkenny

Understanding Site Investigations CPD Course

Engineering the South East ran another of it’s “Understanding Site Investigations” day long CPD sessions with our colleagues from SETU Department of Architecture & Built Environment recently. The mix of practical and theory on this session is always popular with the industry professionals who partake.

If you are interesting in taking part in the next session please email us here

IBEC Manufacturing Day Ireland - Friday 2nd October 2026IBEC’s Manufacturing Day Ireland (MDI) returns this October. This initiative invites companies nationwide to open their doors to students and jobseekers to showcase the nation’s dynamic manufacturing sector and the diverse talent driving the sector.

Just 39% of parents are aware of the career opportunities available in the sector, with outdated “factory line” stereotypes still shaping public views. This initiative is designed to reverse this opinion and demonstrate that there are hugely diverse opportunities coming from a career in manufacturing.

Click here to register your company for the event or to find out where an event is happening near you.

Engineering the South East 

The Engineering the South East cluster has a mission to see companies working together to address skills needs, promote careers in engineering and advance the engineering capabilities of the region.