Apprenticeships offer a chance to earn as you learn

8,500 firms employ apprentices in Ireland, 35,000 employers have engaged with apprenticeships over the last 10 years

Sun, 23 Oct, 2022 - 09:15

Darragh Bermingham

The wide range of courses on offer as well as the opportunity to earn as you learn is attracting more and more people to apprenticeships, according to the head of the National Apprenticeship Office.

There are two types of apprenticeships in Ireland — traditional craft apprenticeships and new, employer-led apprenticeships — with 66 programmes currently on offer.

There are around 25 traditional craft apprenticeships available across a range of sectors including electrical, engineering and construction.

New, employer-led apprenticeships are developed and managed by a consortium of industry leaders with education and training providers and other partners.

These span a wide range of sectors including culinary, biopharma, wind energy, retail, hospitality and many, many more.

The training for these new apprenticeships alternates between a workplace and an education and training institute, with a minimum of 50% of the training being undertaken on-the-job.

Speaking to The Irish Examiner, Dr Mary-Liz Trant, director of the National Apprenticeship Office, said the wide range of apprenticeship courses now on offer in Ireland as well as the opportunity to earn a salary while learning is attracting more people to the sector.

Generation Apprenticeship, a partnership between Solas and the government, had a stall at the recent Higher Options seminar and WorldSkills Ireland showcases, both held in Dublin in recent weeks.

“Around 16,000 students, teachers and guidance counsellors came through the door at both events,” Dr Trant recalled.

“We had a Generation Apprenticeship stand and we were mobbed by students, teachers and guidance counsellors. A big part of the feedback was people saying how great it was that they could earn a salary while doing their apprenticeship.

“We also had parents saying they may not have considered promoting apprenticeships to their children before but who are really thinking about it now.

“It’s really a combination of the range of options on offer at the moment and the opportunity to earn a wage as you learn that is attracting people,” she stated.

“I really had the sense, at these events, of a big shift towards apprenticeships. People are starting to see that apprenticeships are another way of getting to where they want to be, and they’re a really good way of getting there with great training, a salary and a job with plenty of room for development and further training if they want.”

There are currently around 24,000 apprentices across the country, completing their training in a wide range of careers with opportunities for further career development and training.

“It’s 66 programmes right across a wide range of areas including logistics, biopharma, hospitality, retail sales and more,” said Dr Trant.

“Qualifications go from certificate level through degree level and masters right through to PhDs now.

“It’s really highlighting apprenticeships as being a huge opportunity to not only start but to progress your career, and really deliver on the commitments that the government wants to deliver on which is meeting skills needs right the way up the employment ladder.”

More employers engaging in apprenticeships

Almost 8,500 employers across Ireland currently employ apprentices while around 35,000 employers have been involved with apprenticeships over the last 10 years.

“We really want to increase the numbers of employers taking on apprentices, particularly with smaller companies, to find ways they can take on apprentices to get the talent they need and build their businesses,” said Dr Trant.

She explained that apprenticeships can ensure that apprentices are entering their workplace with the most up-to-date knowledge and skills that their industry needs.

“A lot of the learning in apprenticeships is done on the job, at least 50% and up to 80% in a lot of cases in fact.

“Many businesses are already using the latest, newest technologies and are on the cutting edge of their industry.

“The industry itself is really ensuring apprenticeships who learn on the job are getting that up-to-date knowledge and skill set,” she added.

“That’s why that partnership, where at least half of the learning is done on the job, is so important.

“It really helps inform our apprenticeship courses, making sure they’re up to date, moving all the time and relevant for industry needs.”

Apprenticeship programmes were included on the Central Applications Office (CAO) website for the first time last year, and it is something that will continue into the future, according to Dr Trant, who described the move as a game-changer.

“It means that when schools are talking to students about their next steps, they’re not just talking about university or college courses, they have all the information on apprenticeships available to them,” she explained.

“That’s a brilliant thing to have for the students, to show them the wide range of options that are out there in the sector while they’re still in school.”

Looking to the future of apprenticeships in Ireland, Dr Trant stated that government plans in areas like housing and climate change, as well as the recently published apprenticeship action plan, mean it is an exciting time for the sector.

“The government published an apprenticeship action plan to run to 2025 and there’s a big commitment in that to expand apprenticeship and use apprenticeships to meet that skills need and the needs of the Housing For All initiative as well as climate action plans,” she said.

“The new National apprenticeship office set up earlier this year by Solas and Higher Education Authority is helping us join the dots with support from both sectors in terms of what apprenticeships are developed, how they’re offered and ensuring they meet the industry needs.”

Earn as you learn

“There’s something to appeal to everyone. We had people coming up saying they didn’t know there were finance apprenticeships, hairdressing apprenticeships, culinary apprenticeships and more.

“We’re still getting the word out there and it’s so important that people realise the wide range of apprenticeships on offer — there really is something for everyone.

Another function of the National Apprenticeship Office, Dr Trant explained, is to give recognition to the apprentices who are so vital to Ireland’s economy.

To that aim, an Apprentice of the Year awards ceremony will take place on October 25 this year with Higher Education Minister Simon Harris handing out awards.

“We’ve had 187 nominations from across Ireland and are expecting around 400 people to attend,” said Dr Trant.

“Part of what we've been working on is giving the recognition and the value to apprentices in this country that maybe hasn’t been there before.

“We have really talented people who are incredibly important to our economy and this award ceremony and all the work we’re doing is about showcasing the fantastic people coming through as well as the brilliant opportunities on offer in the apprenticeship sector.”