A SLEW OF new apprenticeships are on offer to help increase the number of people learning a trade – with 32 planned for rollout this year.

It comes as part of the government’s promise to double the number of people on an apprenticeship programme by 2020, as well as expanding the sectors where they are on offer.

The apprenticeships are in areas such as financial services, engineering, ICT, hospitality, logistics and biopharma.

“Further new apprenticeships are scheduled to get underway later this year and throughout 2019 in a variety of sectors including construction, engineering, horticulture and agriculture,” Minister of State John Halligan told the Dáil late last year.

The qualification you receive at the end of it ranges from level 5 to level 10 on the national framework of qualifications.

Here’s a list of some of the apprenticeships that’ll be on offer:

• Butcher – level 5
• Sous chef – level 8
• Baker – level 6
• Bar manager – level 7
• CGI technical artist – level 9
• International Financial Services Advanced Specialist – level 9
• Principal engineer – level 10
• Stud farm management – level 7
• Supply chain manager – level 9
• Wind turbine maintenance – level 6

According to figures up to the end of October 2018, there were 14,871 apprentices in Ireland and the vast majority were male. 

The majority of these apprentices worked in construction or electrical industries.

The government has said it plans to spend an additional €235 million on further education and training up to 2027.

Figures from the same period show that almost 8,000 young people in Ireland have been unemployed for 12 months or more.

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The National Youth Council (NCYI), as a result, has called for access apprenticeships programmes to support young people who have fewer opportunities and qualifications.

James Doorley, NYCI’s deputy director, said ahead of Budget 2019, “While we welcome job growth in the Irish economy and the consistent trend of reduced youth unemployment, we are concerned about the 7,817 young people under 26 who are now long-term unemployed.”

Dublin saw the highest number of young people in long-term unemployment with 1,697 people aged 26 and under having no job, followed by Cork (526) and Limerick (469).

At the opposite end of the scale, Leitrim had the lowest number of unemployed people aged 26 and under with 71, followed by Monaghan (79) and Sligo (104).