In the last few years, there has been a surge in the number of apprenticeships being offered across all business sectors in Ireland. Apprenticeships help to fill skills gaps that businesses might have and in a very cost effective manner, while also nurturing future talent.
One of Ireland's top apprenticeship programmes is The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship. Established in 2016, it is Ireland's first 'earn and learn' honours degree programme, designed to future-proof the insurance sector. Newstalk caught up with Dermot Murray, CEO of The Insurance Institute to learn more about how apprenticeships, like The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship, can benefit your business:
- Retention of Staff: Staff turnover can be very costly for businesses but research conducted by The Insurance Institute suggests that 74% of apprentices are more likely to stay with their employer post graduation. The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship enables employers to find hard working and ambitious employees who are committed to creating a career for themselves within the insurance sector.
- Fills the Skills Gap: Apprenticeships help companies ensure that the skills being nurtured and developed are matched with the future needs of the business. All apprentices taking The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship, for example, receive a BA Hons in Insurance Practice, meaning they are trained to the highest possible standard.
- Government Funded: Apprenticeships don't need to be costly for your business. Check if there is any funding available to support part of the programme. For example, the academic element of The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship (which is run in partnership with IT Sligo) is 100% Government funded – this provides an enormous saving on training and is an incentive which many organisations are keen to avail of.
If you would like to learn more about The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship, visit: www.earnandlearn.ie. Recruitment for the 2021 programme is currently underway.
