News
Apply to be industry representative on the National Apprenticeship Alliance
From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Published on
Last updated on
The National Apprenticeship Alliance will play an important role in the delivery of the Government’s commitments in fully embedding apprenticeship in the national education and training system. The Alliance will have an advisory role in relation to the development of the apprenticeship system and will oversee and sanction the development of new apprenticeships over the coming years.
We are now inviting applications for membership of the Alliance for four industry representatives.
Applicants will be considered on the grounds of suitable experience, gender balance and being able to represent the full range of relevant interests in their area.
Included in this document is the proposed membership and draft terms of reference of the Alliance for your information.
The role of the industry representative is to contribute their experience and knowledge of their industry area and skills development in order to carry out the functions and deliver the objectives of the National Apprenticeship Alliance.
Collectively, the Alliance members will:
Applicants should have suitable experience, reflect gender balance, and be able to represent the full range of relevant interests in their area.
Representatives will be required to devote as much time to the duties of the Alliance as is necessary for the proper and efficient discharge of their duties.
To be considered for the role of industry representative to the Alliance, please submit a cover letter and CV to apprenticeship_ppp@dfheris.gov.ie by 5pm on 25 February 2022.
Please take care when submitting your expression of interest as the Assessment Panel will make its recommendation(s) to the Minister based on consideration of the documentation which you submit. It is therefore most important that you ensure your cover letter and supporting CV clearly specifies how your particular background and experience meets the requirements of Alliance membership. This will help ensure that the Assessment Panel is as informed as possible as to the basis and suitability of your candidature.
You must also confirm that you do not have any conflicts of interest or legal impediment which would be likely to interfere with your ability to play a full part on the Alliance, as described in this information note. You must also confirm that you can make yourself available to attend meetings and to carry out the duties of the Industry Representative.
The selection process may include a short-listing process dependent on the numbers of applications received.
In submitting an application, and in line with best practice as set out in the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards, it should be noted that it is open to the Minister to consider suitable candidates other than those identified through this process provided his preferred candidate meets the specified criteria.
The Minister shall have regard to the desirability for gender balance on the Governing Body as the Minister considers appropriate and determines from time to time when making appointments.
Should the Representative wish to terminate their position at any time, they may be required to remain in the post until a suitable replacement is appointed.
Subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act , 2014, applications will be treated in strict confidence. All enquires, applications and all aspects of the proceedings are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone outside those directly involved in that aspect of the process.
Certain items of information, not specific to any individual, may be extracted from computer records for general statistical purposes.
The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is committed to protecting your personal data and takes the security of your information very seriously, adhering to the principles of transparency, accountability and security of the General Data Protection Regulation .
The main purpose for which the department requires the personal data provided by you is to consider your application in the context of the qualifying criteria set out in this document and your suitability for the position advertised.
The personal data provided as part of this recruitment campaign will be exchanged with other people involved in the appointment process only as required, including with officials in the department, any other relevant person who will assist in the appointment process, and the minister.
If your application is assessed and you are considered to be suitable for consideration for appointment your CV and cover letter (and any supplementary information requested as part of the application process), will be retained for up to one year following the appointments. In the event that you are not successful on this occasion, your data may be retained for a period of up to one year and used in considering your suitability for other similar vacancies that may arise within that period.
Find out how to request your data from us.
The Action Plan for Apprenticeship, 2021 to 2025 (APA) provides a roadmap to a single apprenticeship system that will fully embed apprenticeship as a valued route for skills development for employers and prospective apprentices.
Upskilling and reskilling are a key Government priority to foster an inclusive recovery and to support the digital and green transitions, all of which are key commitments in the Programme for Government .
Apprenticeship has been identified as having the potential to make a substantial contribution to these objectives through the development of structured pathways for skills acquisition through education and training embedded into the workplace experience.
Apprenticeship also provides a route to re-employment for those impacted by scarring effects and structural changes to the economy and labour market arising from COVID-19 measures and Brexit.
Key to the delivery of the ambition set out in the APA is a new organisational architecture, involving the NAO and National Apprenticeship Alliance. The NAO will have responsibility for all aspects of the management, oversight and development of the apprenticeship system and for implementing the Action Plan. The NAO will exercise on a shared and conjoint basis the relevant legislative and funding functions of SOLAS and the Higher Education Authority (HEA).
The Alliance will take over responsibility for the advice and guidance previously provided by the National Apprenticeship Advisory Committee (NAAC) and the Apprenticeship Council (AC).
The NAAC was established in 1994 as a subcommittee of the SOLAS board. It advises the board on all aspects of the standards-based craft apprenticeship system and has no role in relation to the consortia-led apprenticeships. Following the Independent Review of Apprenticeship in 2013 the Apprenticeship Council was appointed by the then Minister to oversee the process to develop the new consortia-led model of apprenticeship.
The Apprenticeship Council has no role in relation to craft programmes but has overseen the expansion of the consortia-led offering over the past five years and development of the Generation Apprenticeship campaign which promotes all apprenticeships.
Represent apprenticeship stakeholders and help to steer the next phase of apprenticeship development, including the creation of a single coherent system.
Discharge its role in respect of all apprenticeships, both craft and consortia-led.
Work with SOLAS and the HEA to implement a craft apprentice migration plan to enable all apprenticeships to be delivered under the single apprenticeship system. This is expected to be completed within APA’s lifetime.
Provide advice and guidance to the NAO on all aspects of its work and help it drive implementation of the Action Plan. This will include ensuring that apprenticeships are relevant and linked with skills demands.
Review and approve formal occupational profiles in the development of new apprenticeships. This ensures the national character of apprenticeship programmes is maintained with nationally approved standards of knowledge, skill, and competence, and only a single apprenticeship in place for any one occupation.
The Alliance will have the following functions, under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship.
Provide advice and guidance to the NAO on the development of the apprenticeship system and the implementation of the Action Plan. This will be anchored in an annual programme of work, with the Director of the NAO reporting progress to the Alliance.
The Alliance will deliver an annual progress report to the Minister for Further and Higher Education Research, Innovation and Science.
Review and approve formal occupational profiles in the development of new apprenticeships. The occupational profile is a core component of an apprenticeship programme, helping to ensure that skills needs are being met and that apprentices continue to have the knowledge skills and competence for a rapidly changing world of work. In carrying out its role, the Alliance will take account of:
Where relevant, direct input of Alliance members and other stakeholders into the work programme for the NAO will be structured through working groups on specific thematic areas as set by the NAO.
Establish specialist subcommittees as required – including a standing committee targeted to support equity of access.
Work with SOLAS and the HEA to implement the craft apprentice migration plan, enabling delivery of all apprenticeships within a single apprenticeship system.
The diverse range and number of stakeholders who took part in the process to develop the Action Plan demonstrates the level of commitment to and ambition there is for apprenticeship in Ireland. A key priority is to capture the wealth of perspectives and experience of this broad range of stakeholders in the new governance structures.
| Chairperson | ||||
| Education | Partners | Industry | Ex officio | Secretariat |
| DFHERIS | 2 from ICTU | 2 from Ibec | NAO Director | NAO (SOLAS and HEA) |
| THEA | 2 learner representatives | 4 industry representatives | ||
| IUA | Apprenticeship Consortium representative | |||
| HECA | NAAC representative | |||
| 2 from ETBI | ||||
| QQI | ||||
| HEA and SOLAS |