THERE were big celebrations in Letterkenny on Friday as 24 apprentices from Donegal were among a group of craft apprentices from across 17 apprenticeship programmes who graduated at a special ceremony.
A number of apprentices from Donegal who recently qualified, were unable to attend the ceremony due to employment and other commitments.
Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB) and Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board (MSLETB) presented the graduates with their certificates.
Presenting the awards, Donegal ETB Chief Executive Anne McHugh said the organisation was incredibly proud of all of its apprentices as they celebrated this milestone moment with family and friends.
“They have been further supported by Apprenticeship staff within their ETBs and of course by their employers,” Ms McHugh said.
“All of our stakeholders play such a vital role during the apprenticeship journey and today we salute all those who work so hard to prepare our apprentices for their vital role in our economy.
“Our apprentices are extremely well prepared to work in Ireland where their skills are much in demand or indeed they now have a qualification which can take them anywhere they want to go. We wish them all well as they embark on this next phase of their career.”
Congratulating the apprentices who received awards, Paul Hannigan, Head of College at ATU Donegal said, “The reintroduction of apprenticeship training to ATU Donegal has been a great success and as a consequence we are currently in discussions with the HEA to expand our provision in Phases 4 and 6 across several Craft Apprenticeships.
“Our ongoing collaborative partnership with the ETBs in Donegal and Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ensures that apprentices in this region continue to receive the highest quality training.”
Apprenticeships are delivered through a combination of on-the-job and off-the-job training that allows apprentices to earn while they learn and gain an internationally recognised qualification.
In congratulating the graduates, the role of employers was also acknowledged by Vinny McGroary, Donegal ETB Area Training and Apprenticeship Services Manager: “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the employers across the regions for the critical role they play in training our apprentices.
“The continued growth in apprentice registrations is helping to drive the local and regional economies which will benefit all of us.”
By the end of August this year, almost 9,000 employers have used apprenticeships to help support and grow their businesses nationally, with almost 25,500 apprentices currently completing their training.
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