Helping Apprentices find an Employer

Jim, via his company Trade Path, has proposed a complete overhaul of the current system in favour of what he calls the Shared Apprenticeship Scheme (SAS). The scheme is built on more than four decades of on-the-ground experience and is designed to streamline the apprenticeship process to ensure Ireland gets the skilled tradespeople it needs in the years to come.

It works like this: rather than being expected to find their own employer, apprentices register with SAS and get placed into an apprenticeship pool. From there, SAS works with a wide pool of developers, business owners, and contractors to get the apprentices working on site, gaining on-the-job experience to accompany their formal training with Solas.

SAS will take care of the apprentice's wages, holiday entitlements, and all HR-related issues. The employer would decide whether to keep an apprentice on for just one job or for the full four years. This would be a significant benefit for businesses, as some employers can be hesitant to take on an apprentice due to the challenges of balancing their training with the rest of their business needs.

If an apprentice isn't taken on, the SAS would also function as a trade school, offering classes on all the major trades to ensure they get sufficient hands-on experience.

While most apprentices in Ireland start quite young, often living with their parents to mitigate the low apprenticeship wages, the SAS would be open to a broad range of applicants. The SAS would also allow more mature applicants to try their hand at a trade, working with Government departments to ensure they receive sufficient support.

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