Press release
Minister Harris announces Generation Apprenticeship Workplace Champion Awards
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
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris has today announced the winners of the Workplace Champion Awards.
This year, there were 87 individual and team nominees for the Generation Apprenticeship Workplace Champion Awards, with Brendan Kearns of Designer Electric Limited announced as the overall winner.
Speaking today, Minister Harris said:
“Our national apprenticeship system simply could not function without the ongoing support of employers and the dedication of the thousands of people across companies who support apprentices through their learning journey.
“It is only right that we acknowledge and celebrate them and thank them for the role they play in bringing along the next generation of apprentices. They are all directly contributing to widening skills and training for our economy, creating more opportunities for people to help deliver on important priorities, for our society, such as Housing for All and climate action.
“I want to congratulate and thank all of those who have championed apprenticeships from the beginning.”
Minister Harris also welcomed key survey findings from the first large-scale nationwide apprenticeship employer survey.
The survey gathered feedback from 2,457 active apprenticeship employers on all aspects of the national apprenticeship system and how it is meeting their talent and retention needs.
There was a 31% response rate from the almost 9,000 apprenticeship employers.
The key findings include:
Minister Harris added:
“I am delighted to welcome the publication of the report on the first nationwide apprenticeship employer survey, a key deliverable in the Action Plan for Apprenticeships 2021-2025.
“The findings are important and valuable and will be of great assistance to the National Apprenticeship Office as it leads creation of the new integrated system of apprenticeship for Ireland. It is most encouraging to see that 9 in 10 employers view apprenticeships as providing an effective way of developing and training skills talent.
“Since 2021, over 22,000 people have started their journey as apprentices and we are on track for achieving our ambition of 10,000 annual registrations by 2025.
“This cannot happen without the employer. I want to thank each and every one of them for playing their part in this important reform.”
Jim Meade, Chief Executive of Iarnród Eireann said:
“I really welcome this comprehensive survey of employers of all sizes and in all industry sectors who are investing in apprentices as a means of finding and keeping great talent.
"Iarnród Eireann has a longstanding tradition of apprenticeship training, and I was most interested to see the feedback from others in the enterprise community. I look forward to seeing the impact of the survey reflected in the work of the National Apprenticeship Office.”
Dr Mary Liz Trant, Director of the National Apprenticeship Office said:
“We are really pleased to launch the results of this important employer survey. We warmly thank all employers who took the time to respond to the survey. We will be ensuring that your feedback is shaping the system for the future.”
Please contact communications@solas.ie with interview requests. Access the Apprenticeship Instructor recruitment page.
The National Apprenticeship Office is driving reform in the national apprenticeship system under the banner of Generation Apprenticeship, spearheading a range of new initiatives to support both employers and apprentices.
The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 sets out a roadmap for a single apprenticeship system and a five-year strategy to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment of reaching 10,000 new apprentice registrations per year by 2025.
There are now over 27,000 apprentices training in Ireland across 73 diverse Generation Apprenticeship programmes, with 9200 employers currently employing apprentices.
Currently, over 9,200 employers use Generation Apprenticeship as a key source to build skills and talent pipeline for their business, with apprenticeship employer numbers rising from 3,300 in 2014 to 9,000 employers in 2023, highlighting significant progress, interest and growth by employers to find skilled talent with apprenticeship.
The pace of change is accelerating with apprenticeship, a choice that gives you the opportunity to earn while you learn and develop 21st century work-ready skills.
Apprenticeship pathways now offer qualifications from a NFQ level 5 right up to doctorate level across 73 programmes including a whole host of new apprenticeships with exciting employers coming on stream all of the time.
Generation Apprenticeship programmes have broadened from craft and construction-led apprenticeships into diverse, cutting-edge industries such as ICT, pharma, insurance, recruitment, real estate, sales and many more.
Most recently, a number of apprenticeships have been launched including a new Advanced Quantity Surveyor apprenticeship, and apprenticeships in Farming, Horticulture and Civil Engineering.
In addition to the highly valued craft apprenticeships in areas such as electrical and plumbing, newer industry-focused apprenticeships are now available in careers as diverse as biopharma and cyber-security.
Details on the range of apprenticeship programmes and how to apply are available on the Generation Apprenticeship website. You can also find information on available apprenticeships in your area from your local Education and Training Board (ETB).
In the last decade, over 30,000 apprentices have graduated through the full range of 70+ national apprenticeships. Each apprentice graduate is supported by a team of dedicated and committed individuals in the workplace.
The 2023 Awards celebrate those individuals who bring apprenticeship training alive in the workplace, through their mentoring skills, their listening skills, and the many different ways in which they support apprentices as they embark on their careers.
They provide valuable on-the-job learning and development experiences, and may be in leadership or supporting roles. They can be assessors, mentors, team leaders, shift supervisors or anyone involved in the day-to-day training of an apprentice.
Nominations were submitted to the National Apprenticeship Office by employers, apprentices, apprentice graduates, apprenticeship training providers, support personnel and others.
Nominated workplace champions are from every region of the country and are in companies small and large, and spanning a broad range of industries.
The principles of fairness, equity and independence underpin the judging process. The total number of nominations received was considered with reference to the three broad categories of (i) enablers and supporters of apprentices; (ii) apprenticeship advocates to the outside world; and (iii) advocates of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Three independent judges with extensive industry as well as education and training expertise were assigned to decide on the winners.
11 awards are being made, three in each category; a team award; and one overall Workplace Champion award from the group of category award recipients.
The full list of award winners for 2023 is as follows.
The awards build on annual awards for Generation Apprenticeship employers and colleagues held each year since 2019, with online events during the pandemic. Last year marked a return to an in-person ceremony.
The awards are well attended annually with a strong industry presence, including from those on the National Apprenticeship Alliance and key stakeholders who include the CIF, Ibec, Enterprise Ireland, ESB Networks and staff representatives.