Apprenticeships offer attractive 'earn and learn' paths for all ages

A record 9,352 apprentices registered in 2024, on 77 different schemes, and close to 10,000 apprentice employers, Solas reports

Aer Lingus is hosting a four-year Aircraft Engineer Apprenticeship programme. Candidates can apply online until February 28, 2025.

Apprenticeships are offering an increasingly valuable route into a career, with a growing number of colleges and industries hosting attractive ‘earn and learn’ options.

For instance, the four-year Aer Lingus programme for Aircraft Engineer Apprentices offers participants hands-on experience while working towards becoming fully qualified aircraft engineers.

Upon completion, graduates can aspire to careers within the Aer Lingus maintenance and engineering department, working on a modern aircraft, including the A320 Classic, the latest A321 XLR, and the A330.

Apprentices also earn while they learn during their apprenticeship, as Aer Lingus and Solas provides a structured pay scale throughout the four years. The apprenticeship begins in Dublin, followed by nine months spent in Shannon.

The four-year programme is run in conjunction with state training agency Solas in Shannon, along with Technological University Dublin and the South East Technological University.

Solas, in its latest annual report, noted that a record number of 9,352 new apprentices registered in 2024 with 77 different apprenticeship offerings, and close to 10,000 apprentice employers. Phase 2 apprentice training capacity expanded by 45% in 2024.

Third-level colleges are offering an increasingly varied range of apprenticeship courses. For example, MTU offers apprenticeship opportunities across the areas of craft, construction, hospitality and food, as well as engineering and much more.

It is noteworthy that these courses are designed to suit all categories of learner. Apprentices are often Leaving Cert or degree graduates, but this option is also frequently chosen by mature jobseekers wishing to change career paths or enhance their options within an industry in which they are already working.

This was the case for mature learner Matt Leskovec (33), who lives with his family in Drimnagh. Matt said that the flexibility offered by the two-year Accounting Technicians Ireland (ATI) Apprenticeship will allow him to gain a qualification he would otherwise not have the time to study for.

Now into his second year as an Accounting Technicians Ireland apprentice, Matt was on a year-and-a-half career break as a stay-at-home dad when he signed up to the ATI’s programme.

Mature student Matt Leskovec says the two-year Accounting Technicians Ireland Apprenticeship will allow him to gain a qualification he would otherwise not have the time to study for. Photo: MediaConsult

He had previously worked as a social media content reviewer but opted for a change of career on his return to work in 2023. Now, he is apprenticed to the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General in Dublin City Centre.

The ATI Apprenticeship allows students work, earn, and learn. Graduates qualify as accounting technicians and can gain exam exemptions if they wish to move on to become fully qualified accountants.

“It is never too late to find the right career fit,” Matt said of the ATI course. “With a young family, I needed to be earning while studying, with the prospect of career growth. So being able to study and gain a qualification while also being paid is invaluable to me.

“And, as any student with children will tell you, having flexible study times is an amazing perk. Being able to relate my studies to work is helpful in terms of my understanding. The programme is well thought out and covers my day-to-day work.

“But the biggest advantages for me is being able to earn while learning, and flexible study. I would not be able to gain a qualification otherwise. And being able to relate your learning to work puts you ahead of someone who merely attended college.” 

Matt works four days a week with the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General as part of the funded work-based learning programme, which sees locally placed apprentices earn at least the national living wage and above.

Matt attends college one day a week at Rathmines College of Further Education. He had no previous direct experience of accounting when he began the Accounting Technicians Ireland Apprenticeship.

The ATI Apprenticeship will create over 200 jobs this year. Apprentices work, learn and earn at least €26,325 a-year while attending lectures one day a week at a local college.

The course also allows employers to recruit and upskill staff, with the training fees covered by Solas. Employers can avail of a grant of €4,000 per-year for each apprentice they employ.

Applications have opened for the ATI apprenticeship, in partnership with colleges in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Meath, Monaghan, Waterford and Wicklow.

Since the programme’s foundation in 2014, the ATI apprenticeship has been the source of almost 1,200 jobs. ATI now partners with over 170 employers across 30 sectors.

Meanwhile, Luke Saunders, co-founder of teaching and learning tool Studyclix, says more needs to be done to inform secondary school students about apprenticeships.

He has called on the government to better resource essential career guidance after a recent Studyclix survey found that 44% of sixth-year students say that they haven’t been given enough information about alternatives to university.

The survey highlights a collective disinterest in apprenticeships or trades, partly due to lack of information. Just 5% say they are considering apprenticeships or trades.

Luke Saunders said: “The last government was very vocal about the need for a good supply of skilled tradespeople to maintain a healthy economy, but the survey reveals a failure to engage young people in apprenticeships.

“Unfortunately, this will have serious implications for not just the housing crisis, but also the prospect of Ireland meeting its home retrofitting and greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets set out in the Climate Action Plan.”