CMETB host National Apprenticeship Awards for LMETB and CMETB Apprentices
The National Apprenticeship Awards 2024 for apprentices in Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath were held in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan on Thursday, 24 October.
The event was hosted by Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB) in partnership with Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB) and presented awards to the graduates of a variety of Craft Apprenticeships and the OEM Apprenticeship programme.
In total, 585 apprentices were invited to the graduation representing apprentices graduating since October 2023. Mr Con Ferry, Programme Director for Apprenticeship Capacity and Integration in SOLAS, presented the Advanced Craft and OEM certificates to the apprentices.
The apprentices graduated from 15 subject areas including Electrical, Wood Manufacturing and Finishing, Vehicle Body Repairs, Carpentry and Joinery, Plumbing, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Metal Fabrication, Agricultural Mechanics, Mechanical Automation & Maintenance Fitter, Sheet Metalworking, Toolmaking, Motor Mechanics, Construction Plant Fitting, Electronic Security Systems and Original Equipment Manufacturing.
Employers were also honoured for their role in supporting apprenticeship programmes. Gyproc Saint-Gobain received the Employer Award, recognised for their commitment to gender diversity, with a third of their apprentices being women hired across their trades. Joe McCabe, Electrical Supervisor at Gyproc Saint Gobain, accepted the award on behalf of the company.
Speaking at the event, Dr Fiona McGrath (Chief Executive, CMETB) said: “Today’s graduation highlights the transformative power of apprenticeships for individuals and businesses alike. Apprenticeships are crucial to our regional economy and the quality of apprenticeship training in Ireland is extraordinarily high, as is demonstrated by the increasing number of apprentices nationally and the number of businesses embracing the apprenticeship model.”
Dr McGrath also acknowledged the challenges posed the national apprenticeship backlog and reaffirmed CMETB’s commitment, in partnership with other ETBs, to increasing training capacity to support more apprentices.
Commenting on the significance of the apprenticeship pathway, Sinead McKenna, (Training Services Manager, CMETB) noted, “Apprenticeships offer an essential route for skill development in high-demand fields. We’re deeply grateful to our local employers who actively support this training model and help apprentices gain practical, industry-relevant experience. Their partnership is vital to ensuring our apprentices graduate with the expertise and confidence to excel in their careers.”
Apprenticeships offer an excellent opportunity to gain an internationally recognised qualification through a combination of on-the-job and off-the-job training, allowing apprentices to earn while they learn.
CMETB offer a range of apprenticeships and support to local employers, for more information please visit: www.cmetb.ie/apprenticeships/ or email apprenticeships@cmetb.ie Tel: 0494353922
