Apprenticeship training in Ireland: From time-served to standards based; potential and limitations for the construction industry

Craft apprenticeship in Ireland has been traditionally of the time-served type, in which the attainment of pre-determined standards of competence and knowledge was not mandatory. However, in 1991 a new standards-based apprenticeship system was introduced and that in future, to be recognised as a crafts worker, a person would have to have the National Craft Certificate as a compulsory requirement. Previously an apprentice underwent four to five years of training to achieve status as a qualified tradesperson, regardless of actual competency. This paper reports on research work conducted on the apprenticeship system in Ireland, and particularly the perceptions of the outcomes of the change from a time-served to standards based apprenticeship system. The focus of attention is the construction industry, and the research work was conducted in a large city in the south of Ireland. The research work consisted of interviewing a wide variety of personnel in this industry, from employers to trainers. The research findings are supported by contextual data on the construction industry. Broadly speaking, most interviewees expressed satisfaction with the new system mentioning, in particular, the value of having competent standards rather than simply using time. A number of criticisms were voiced. However, these criticisms related primarily to the specific operation of the new scheme and were especially relative to problems in gaining access to particular training courses at the right time.