Mr. Peter Davitt:

FIT is thankful for the opportunity the committee has given it to contribute to its review. FIT is the co-ordinating provider of two ICT apprenticeships, for associate professionals in software development and network engineering, respectively. We were successful in the first call for submissions. One might think of us as a good case study of the challenges and opportunities that can arise in expanding apprenticeships into sectors and occupations where there is no tradition of apprenticeship.

FIT was established in 1999 to promote an inclusive smart economy. Its board members are senior executives in leading technology sector companies. Over the past 20 years, in collaboration with FÁS and VECs, and latterly SOLAS and education and training boards, we assisted 18,500 jobseekers in gaining access to quality ICT training, of whom over 14,000 have secured employment. The majority of these candidates have not been third level students, much less graduates who studied STEM subjects. Prior to the first call for new apprenticeships, FIT had piloted a new dual-education, two-year training programme called ICT associate professional at NFQ level 6 – FET – in collaboration with the Department of Education and Skills, SOLAS and eight education and training boards. On this precursor to the technology apprenticeships, 259 candidates were sponsored by 143 companies, with 85% of those completing securing employment. In collaboration with Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board, KWETB, and Intel, FIT designed and ran a new advanced manufacturing maintenance technician programme at NFQ Level 6. Over 80% of those who completed the programme to date secured employment in Intel and a further 10% elsewhere. The vast majority of these candidates had no previous knowledge or experience in the discipline, further demonstrating how FET can cater for highly technical roles. With the support of KWETB, the capacity of the programme has since been doubled.

In the light of this background FIT welcomed the development of a new national policy on apprenticeships and traineeships, the establishment of the Apprenticeship Council and the creation of QQI quality and programme-validation processes for apprenticeships.

In tandem with the first call, FIT developed two ICT apprenticeships to meet the skills needs of employers while making tech employment more inclusive. The positive response we have got from IT employers led us to adopt the goal of achieving an annual intake of 1,000 ICT apprentices by 2021 through expanding the portfolio of tech apprenticeships into complementary areas, such as cybersecurity, FinTech, DevOps, virtualisation and digital forensics. There is strong employer demand in Ireland for ICT skills. There is demand not just for high skills but also for intermediate or associate professional skills that are well within the capability of appropriately designed FET programmes. In periodic ICT skills audits based on large numbers of face-to-face interviews with IT employers, FIT has consistently found the majority of posts they were seeking to fill required the exercise of skills at levels they described as entry or competent rather than expert. Employment of ICT practitioners is concentrated in our four largest cities but there are now growing pockets in every region, some of which have grown particularly rapidly.

To ensure the shared ambition for modern apprenticeships becoming a key source of talent acquisition for employers and an option of choice for many jobseekers, it is FIT's view that there are aspects of the current programme needing attention and enhancement. Existing administration processes for the new apprenticeships need to be reviewed to ensure fitness for purpose. A national and persistent promotional campaign needs to be implemented immediately to ensure broad appreciation of the range of apprenticeships now available and in development, with particular emphasis to encourage more women to consider the opportunity. The final aspect concerns the adoption of funding models that support more effectively the early-stage development and implementation cycle of new apprenticeships and take account of the diverse needs that pertain across sectors.

While early take-up may be challenging, requiring a change in mindsets, more ambitious targets for the expansion of new apprenticeships are necessary to sustain the job growth in Ireland's buoyant economy through a broadening of talent pipelines.