The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship is one of Ireland's top apprenticeships designed to future-proof the insurance sector.

Ireland has seen a surge in the number of apprenticeships being offered across all business sectors in recent years.

Earlier this year, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education, Niall Collins, announced the roll-out of €17.2 million in capital funding to respond to the growing demand for apprenticeships.

But does your business really need an apprentice?

Well, there are many benefits for employers as a direct result of hiring an apprentice, ranging from low-cost training to staff progression amongst others:

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.

Fills the skills gap and nurtures talent: Apprenticeships can help ensure that the skills being nurtured and developed are matched with the future needs of the business.

Government funding: Apprenticeships don't need to be costly for your business. For example, one of the top apprenticeship programmes in Ireland is The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship, which is run in partnership with ATU Sligo (Atlantic Technological University). Established in 2016, it was Ireland's first 'earn and learn' honours degree programme and its educational portion is 100% Government funded.

The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship

The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship offers participants the chance to work in a full-time salaried position with an insurance employer while studying for their honours degree (BA Hons in Insurance Practice). The apprenticeship was designed to future-proof the insurance sector in Ireland.

One unique aspect of the programme is that the employers recruit the apprentices directly. The Insurance Institute is on hand to help but the employer has full autonomy over who they hire and this is best as they know the type of candidate they need for their business.

Carman Devlin, Account Director, O’Leary Insurances, shared a little about how apprenticeships have benefited her business:

"The apprentices have given our business a new energy and vitality. They have had an extremely positive influence on other staff members who have had to ‘pay forward’ and give time to training and developing this young talent. We have found these hugely ambitious and hardworking individuals through the programme, and taken them on at the very beginning of their career – so they can absorb our culture and ethos, while also become adept at understanding our processes and systems."

Tackling talent shortages

Struggling to find the right candidates for roles has been a recurring complaint amongst business owners and managers in recent years. Businesses are finding it harder than ever to recruit and fill new and essential roles within their teams.

Speaking to Newstalk.com, O’Leary Insurances' Carman Devlin said:

"We were finding it difficult to find the right staff... We had just set up a new SME department in the business and we needed to make it run efficiently by putting the right staff in place. The apprentices began their work with us in this department and it served as an initial training ground for them. I have to say they added value to the business immediately and any investment in terms of time and money from our perspective was entirely worth it."

How can you sign up to take part for 2022?

Recruitment for the 2022 programme is currently underway and open to insurance employees looking to upskill in the industry, as well as those looking to attain an insurance degree while gaining key experience in the workplace.

If you would like to learn more about The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship, visit: EarnAndLearn.ie.