Prior to 2016, a QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate Craft was awarded to qualified apprentices who successfully completed their apprenticeship. These apprenticeships generally take four years to complete from the date of registration. Apprenticeships consist of both on-the-job and off-the-job learning phases, preparing the participant for a specific occupation. This training alternates between the workplace and an education facility, namely ETB (Education and Training Board) centres, IOTs (Institutes of Technology) or colleges of further education. 

For the remainder of this report, qualified apprentices of all ages are included in the analyses. In the 'Destination Outcomes' sections, qualified apprentices without a valid PPSN are excluded since these records cannot be matched to outcome data. However, they are included in Figure 5.1 and Figure 5.2 in order to give a more accurate representation of the trends in apprenticeships in Ireland. 

 

More than half of qualified apprentices were aged 25 and under

Less than 100 females completed apprenticeships between 2010 and 2016 and thus, the number of female qualified apprentices are not shown in Figure 5.1. Of the 1,220 male qualified apprentices in 2016, more than half (57.8%) were aged 25 and under.

One in three (36.1%) apprenticeships completed in 2016 were Electrical apprenticeships, the most common field of apprenticeships, while one in four (25.4%) completed Motor apprenticeships and one in five (20.1%) completed Construction apprenticeships.

The proportion of apprentices qualifying from Motor apprenticeships rose from 12.9% to 25.4% between 2010 and 2016, an increase of 12.5 percentage points. The most common apprenticeship field in 2010 was Construction, which accounted for 48.6% of all completed apprenticeships. The proportion of qualified apprentices who completed Construction apprenticeships fell by 28.5 percentage points between 2010 and 2016, from 48.6% in 2010 to 20.1% in 2016. One in five (18%) 2016 qualified apprentices completed Engineering apprenticeships, an increase of 11.2 percentage points on the rate of 6.8% in 2010.

Two years following qualification, 52.9% of apprentices qualified in 2010 were in employment and 17.8% were enrolled in education. The overlap between these categories (i.e. the proportion in both employment and education) is 9.6%. Therefore, the combined proportion in employment or education is 61.1%. Over the following years, the proportion in employment increased from 52.9% for apprentices qualified in 2010 to 79.5% for apprentices qualified in 2014, an increase of 26.6 percentage points. The share enrolled in education fell marginally from 17.8% to 16.8%. The proportion in 'neither employment nor education' fell by more than half, decreasing by 10.6 percentage points. The combined proportion of qualified apprentices in 2014 in employment or education is 81.9%, a 20.8 percentage point increase from the combined proportion of 61.1% in 2010.

 

The proportion of qualified apprentices in employment increased over time since qualification

Amongst apprentices that qualified in 2012, 65% were in substantial employment in the second year after qualification. By five years after qualification, this proportion had increased to 76%, an increase of 11 percentage points. 

Approximately 17.1% of qualified apprentices were enrolled in education two years after qualification. By five years after qualification, this had not varied substantially, with 16.8% still in education. 

The proportion of qualified apprentices who were in 'neither employment nor education' was 11.3% two years after qualification. Over the following three years, this fell to just 4.1%. The proportion of qualified apprentices who were 'not captured' remained consistent at close to 18%.

 

Fewer than one in ten were self-employed two years after qualification

As shown above, the proportion of qualified apprentices that were in substantial employment increased with qualification year and years since qualification. In Figure 5.5, it can be seen that the majority of qualified apprentices are working with an employer, rather than being self-employed. Amongst apprentices qualified in 2010 and 2012, around 6% were self-employed two years after qualification, increasing to approximately one in ten five years after qualification. Amongst apprentices qualified in 2014, the proportion that were self-employed after two years was slightly higher than those who qualified in 2010 and 2012, at 7.9%.

 

Six in ten qualified apprentices were working in Construction or Industry two years after qualification

Of the apprentices qualified in 2014, 60.1% were employed in the Construction or Industry sectors, an increase of 7.8 percentage points on the rate of 52.3% for 2010 qualified apprentices. Of those who qualified in 2014, approximately 15.9% found work in Wholesale & Retail Trade, a 2.8 percentage point decrease on the rate of 18.7% for 2010 qualified apprentices. There were increases over time in the proportion of newly qualified apprentices working in Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities, and decreases in the proportions working in Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing and Public Administration & Defence.

Among apprentices who qualified in 2014 and were substantially employed two years after qualification, the NACE sectors of Industry and Construction accounted for the vast majority of employment for three of the fields, namely Construction, Electrical and Engineering. Seven in every ten qualified apprentices from the field of Engineering were employed in the Industry sector, and 57.4% of Construction apprentices found employment in the Construction sector. Amongst qualified Electrical apprentices, two in five (44.8%) were in Construction and a further 23% were in Industry. For those who completed Motor apprenticeships, the most common NACE sector was Wholesale & Retail Trade. Note that this NACE sector includes the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles. Approximately 14.9% of qualified Motor apprentices were working in Industry and a further 8.5% were working in Transportation & Storage.

 

Two years after qualification, one in ten (11.5%) apprentices who qualified in 2010 were enrolled in further education and 7.6% were enrolled in higher education. The overlap between these categories (i.e. the proportion enrolled in both further and higher education) was 1.3%. Therefore, the combined proportion in education was 17.8%. 

Two years after qualification, 11.3% of apprentices who qualified in 2014 were enrolled in further education and 6.2% enrolled in higher education. The overlap was 0.7% and hence, the combined proportion was 16.8%, compared to 17.8% in 2010.