Apprentices.. You're hired!

System shake-up urged to tackle massive shortfall in tradespeople

- BY DAIRE FITTON

AN overhaul of Ireland's apprenticeship system is the only way to end the country's dire shortage of skilled tradespeople, it's claimed.

Builder Jim Ahern, 63, has worked in construction for over 40 years and has watched the current system struggle to keep up with the skilled labour demand.

The Cork native believes the problem lies in the apprenticeship system, which can place many obstacles in the path of young people looking to learn a trade.

New research by the Economic and Social Research Institute showed that Ireland needs an extra 80,000 construction workers to complete the projects set out in the National Development Plan.

Currently, the onus is on apprentices to find an employer willing to take them on while they get their accreditations through Solas.

This process takes four years, and the apprentice needs to stay in stable employment throughout, meaning any gap in employment can lead to setbacks.

Jim said: "The industry is so broken up now, and we've lost thousands of apprentices. Some of the largest firms have transitioned into developers that hire out a lot of the work to subcontractors.

"These subcontractors can't guarantee they'll keep an apprentice for four years, and we need to change the model to account for the current system. We've lost a lot of the connection between apprenticeships and the industry as a whole."

WAGES