DONEGAL has been ranked seventh among the best counties to train as a tradesperson in Ireland.
A survey found that the county scored 61.78 out of 100, according to the new research.
It is from business company Fieldmotion, which describes itself as a field service management platform that helps firms move away from paperwork and run their operations more efficiently.
It stated that its research analysed factors such as rent prices, construction enterprises and proximity to technological university campuses.
A spokesperson said: “The top five counties for a trade apprenticeship were Waterford, Mayo, Carlow, Wexford, and Meath.
“Then it was Kerry, Donegal, Tipperary, Galway and Westmeath.
“Each of these counties host a TU campus where on many, phase four and six of job training for apprenticeships take place.
“In 2022, institutions of technology in Galway, Donegal and Mayo merged to create Atlantic TU.
“Donegal had second lowest average rent price nationally only higher than Leitrim, and the highest number of active construction enterprises per 10,000 people.”
ATU Donegal was praised in the study for its student apprenticeships’ programmes. Photo: ATU.
She added: “The research comes as the country is facing a labour shortage in the construction industry with roughly 54,000 fewer employees than at its 2007 peak.
“While the construction sector currently employs over 177,600 people, to meet the housing and infrastructure goals set by the government 100,000 additional roles are required by 2030, roughly 25,000 per year.
“Fieldmotion built a Trade Apprenticeship Index using five metrics. The average rent for a double room in a house, the distance to the nearest technological university campus, and three CSO datasets.
“These measured new homes commenced (the volume of building work taking place in each county), construction employees (the number of people employed by construction firms), and active construction enterprises (the number of construction businesses registered there, a good indicator of potential employment opportunities for apprentices).”
Fieldmotion managing director Jerome Finnegan said: “While this obviously shows where in Ireland is the best or most suitable to do a trade apprenticeship, I think it adds to a broader conversation about how important it is to make entry into the construction industry more streamlined and accessible, and how this is an essential part of easing the labour shortage the county is facing as we move into an era off massive investment in public infrastructure and projects.
“What we hear from businesses is that demand for skilled people is still very strong while experienced tradespeople are getting harder and harder to recruit, which makes bringing new talent through more urgent.”