Manufacturing technician and manufacturing engineer apprenticeships are to be expanded to the Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) in 2025.
Initially launched in 2017, the courses were developed by Irish Medtech, the Ibec trade association for the sector, in collaboration with higher education institutions, Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Munster Technological University (MTU), and representatives from across the medtech and manufacturing industries in Ireland.
The apprenticeships aim to meet the needs of a broad range of manufacturing sectors, from medtech, biopharma and polymer technology, to engineering, machinery, construction and food.
Over 600 apprentices have been registered since 2017 and interest in the programme has grown substantially, with over 100 companies now engaged.
"We are delighted to confirm that our manufacturing engineering apprenticeships will be available in Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) in Summer 2025, providing an exciting opportunity for employers on the east coast of Ireland to access this successful national programme which has been developed by industry, for industry," said Trish Breen, Programme Manager of the Medtech and Engineering Apprenticeships at Ibec.
"Employers may decide to recruit apprentice candidates externally, but it is also a fantastic opportunity to upskill existing employees and grow your own engineering talent pipeline internally," Ms Breen said.
The manufacturing engineering apprenticeship consortium agreement was officially signed in Dundalk earlier this week.
"This will see DkIT School of Engineering as a member of the consortium and a provider of this apprenticeship from 2025," said Dr Breda Brennan, Head of the School of Engineering at DkIT.
"The agreement will help to widen and increase access to educational opportunities for students from our region and beyond," Dr Brennan said.
