Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board (MSLETB ) and Donegal Education and Training Board presented awards and certificates to the graduates of a variety of craft apprenticeship programmes at the Landmark Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim on November 18.
More than 120 craft apprentices from 18 apprenticeships programmes attended the first in-person ceremony since 2019. The graduates qualified in the following apprenticeships: electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery, mechanical automotive maintenance fitter, wood manufacturing and finishing, motor mechanics, metal fabrication, refrigeration and air conditioning, vehicle body repairs, toolmaking, construction plant fitting, heavy vehicle mechanics, stonecutting and stonemasonry, pipefitting, electronic security systems, agricultural mechanics, and instrumentation.
Speaking at the event, CE of MSLETB Tom Grady said: “The pandemic brought many challenges to apprentices and their employers. However, resilience and perseverance to succeed has brought us to this graduation today.
“Apprenticeships are vital for the prosperity of the northwest region and the country. Apprentices develop the knowledge, skills, and expertise required by industry and are a pathway into a great career, and our graduates here today should be immensely proud of the choice they made.”
Apprenticeships offer an excellent opportunity to gain an internationally recognised qualification, it is delivered through a combination of on-the-job and off-the-job training that allows the apprentices to earn while they learn. In 2022 more than 8,400 employers used apprenticeships to help support and grow their businesses, with some 24,000 apprentices currently completing their training.
Minister for State, Public Health, Wellbeing and National Drugs Strategy Frank Feighan, stated: “Apprenticeship as an industry-driven system provides a route for employers to shape the experiences and qualifications required of their industry.
"The initiatives set out in the Government’s action plan makes it easier for all employers to engage with apprenticeships. This, in turn, will support the learner looking to advance their career through a viable pathway which facilitates on-the-job learning while retaining a source of income. I would like to congratulate the apprentices who took that first leap into the apprentice journey.”
CE of MSLETB, Tom Grady, also congratulated the many stakeholders involved and finished by congratulating the employers, mentors, and graduates: “Thank you to the employers and mentors of the graduates, for their support of the apprentices throughout their journey. Thank you to the apprentices for your challenging work and dedication, you are true ambassadors of your employer, these apprenticeship programmes, and your ETBs. I wish you the absolute best of luck in your career and in the future.”
The National Apprenticeship Awards 2022 also recognised the MSLETB and Donegal ETB World Skills participants.
For more information about the apprenticeship programmes available, to become an approved employer, or to register as an apprentice, contact your local ETB today.
