New data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reveals that over 90% of apprentices who qualified in 2020 were employed two years later, earning a median weekly wage of €935.
The study, which marks the CSO’s first dedicated analysis of apprenticeship outcomes, shows significant improvement since the economic recession. The percentage of qualified apprentices neither in employment nor education—or presumed to have emigrated—plummeted from approximately 40% in 2010 to just 7% by 2020.
Construction, industry, and wholesale/retail trade emerged as the top sectors employing these qualified workers. Craft apprenticeship graduates commanded the highest earnings with median weekly wages of €950, compared to €770 for those completing consortia-led programs.
The Department of Further and Higher Education also released preliminary findings from their national apprenticeship survey of over 5,500 participants. The results indicated high satisfaction, with 80% willing to recommend apprenticeships to friends and family. While 92% of current apprentices are male, the slight increase to 8% female participation signals modest progress in gender diversity.
Apprenticeship completion rates have fluctuated considerably, peaking at 3,820 qualified apprentices in 2011 before falling to 1,220 in 2016. By 2020, numbers had rebounded to 2,685 completions.