INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES IN APPRENTICESHIPS IN IRELAND
As we head into 2022 and hopefully out of the worst of the global pandemic, Ireland is at an exciting pivot point on national apprenticeships. Over the past five years there has been significant modernisation and expansion of the system.
There are now 62 apprenticeship programmes on offer in 16 industries, from international financial services to engineering, to 21st century tech.
People of all ages and backgrounds, who decide to qualify via apprenticeship, can choose a programme that leads to a certificate, an honours degree, a master’s or even a PhD.
Also, the number of employers using apprenticeship as a talent pipeline is expected to pass the 10,000 mark this year, with over 24,000 apprentices currently employed and completing their training.
Apprentices ‘earn as they learn’, so as employees they earn a salary throughout their training.
TRANSFORMATION TO 2025
In 2021, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris launched an ambitious, transformational Action Plan for Apprenticeships 2021-2025. The plan includes 63 practical actions and a range of targets which will embed apprenticeship as a major route to skills development and careers in Ireland.
New apprenticeships will come on stream in areas which include cybersecurity, wind turbine technology, advanced quantity surveying and transport operation and the track for developing new apprenticeships will be further broadened.
Feedback from apprentices on their experiences and their ideas for innovations and innovative technology will
will be included much more systematically
support the rapidly expanding numbers
involved. Access to apprenticeship will
be enhanced, and there will be additional
supports for both apprentices and
employers.
Crucially, apprenticeship in Ireland will evolve into a single, integrated system which is straightforward for apprentices to access and for employers to use to grow their businesses.
NEARLY €200M INVESTMENT ANNUALLY
Ireland’s current investment in the national apprenticeship system is close to €200 million per year – and this investment will grow even further to support at least 10,000 apprentice registrations per year by 2025. Support for employers which hire apprentices will include a €2,000 annual grant per apprentice and a bursary to incentivise employment of female apprentices in industries where women are significantly under-represented. There are currently seven apprenticeship programmes where not a single apprentice is female.
A RESPONSIVE SKILLS SOLUTION
Apprenticeship design and development in Ireland is industry-led, which means that employers are in the driving seat when it comes to shaping the content of the programmes. Supports are provided by government to develop new apprenticeships in emerging areas including technology and green skills.
There are currently over 8,250 employers in Ireland using apprenticeship as a talent pipeline. Over the next four years, it is intended that this number will increase significantly as more programmes come on stream and more industries understand the benefits of apprenticeship in hiring and retaining talent. Data on the benefits of apprenticeship for businesses and for whole industries will be shared, including on how it enhances the profile of an employer as an investor in talent and skills development and how apprentice graduates give back to their employer in subsequent years.
DRIVING SYSTEM INNOVATION
As part of the new plan, Harris has announced the establishment of a National Apprenticeship Office to drive system innovation and to pioneer this next phase of expansion. The Minister’s vision is for apprenticeship in Ireland to be universally valued and understood as a superb work-based route to a qualification: a way of learning whereby apprentices develop not just cutting-edge technical skills but also the vital human skills of leadership, teamwork and problem-solving, and the digital skills so essential in today’s world.
In 2022, apprenticeship options have been included on the CAO platform for the first time. That initiative is driving new conversations in homes around the country as school leavers and older learners consider their options for further study and for their careers. It is intended that this year and in subsequent years, the Irish public will increasingly recognise and value the apprenticeship route and the wonderful apprentices and employers who are at its heart.