Cork: Cork ETB helps people forge new careers

Job losses in the sectors most impacted by the pandemic have been one unfortunate consequence of Covid-19 in the Irish market.

Just last month, the Central Bank predicted that up to 100,000 people in Ireland could lose their jobs permanently as a result of the pandemic.

For John Fitzgibbons, the director of further education and training at Cork Education and Training Board (CETB), helping those who are out of work to forge new careers is a priority now more than ever.

Across all of its programmes, both full- and part-time, CETB is providing further education and training to 20,000 people in the city and county.

With more than 12,000 learners in primary- and post-primary schools, CETB is also the biggest education provider in Cork, with a reach that extends into every community.

Fitzgibbons has witnessed first-hand the negative impact of the pandemic on employment in these communities. He is, however, hopeful that we are starting to turn a corner.

“We have seen a large number of people out of work for considerable periods of time, but, thankfully, this is beginning to decrease,” Fitzgibbons said.

Cork ETB offers a wide and varied range of full- and part-time courses, according to Fitzgibbons. These courses are available, not just to people who are out of work, but also to those interested in learning new skills or changing careers.

“I would advise anyone considering their career path for the next five to 10 years to look at our courses and select something that will place them in the best position possible to develop their career in the future,” he said.

Under the government’s Skills to Advance initiative, CETB can also tailor training to the requirements of individual employers with a need to upskill or reskill workers.

This training is state-funded to a significant degree, and carries no cost for individual participants, according to Fitzgibbons.

For those that have lost their jobs, and people in employment who want to change careers, apprenticeships are one option worth considering.

Although the traditional view of apprenticeships has sometimes been that they are relevant only to younger people in their late teens or early twenties, that is not the case. There is no upper age limit to this training option.

Right now, in fact, CETB is fielding queries from people in their thirties and forties about apprenticeships that would allow them to begin a new career.

The most important first step in this process is to find an employer who will sponsor the apprenticeship.

Both the apprentice and the employer must be registered with Solas, the state agency, and there are specific training requirements for each qualification.

The government recently announced a new Action Plan for Apprenticeships (2021–2025).

“Critically, the action plan is looking at further increasing the range and diversity of areas where apprenticeship is one of the routes into employment, with a target of achieving 10,000 additional apprenticeship registrations per annum by the end of the period,” Fitzgibbons said.

“Apprenticeship development will be employer-led and focused on meeting employment requirements in partnership with the further and higher education providers.”

‘Post-2016’ or ‘new’ apprenticeships have grown in popularity in recent years at CETB.

These include options for auctioneering, property services and accounting technicians (through Cork College of Commerce).

Participants are provided with practical hands-on learning experience while also receiving payment from the employer sponsoring them.

The duration of these new apprenticeships can be between two and four years, depending on the role. They can be placed anywhere on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) from levels five to nine.

Bearing in mind that an honours degree is level eight on the NFQ, this was a significant development, Fitzgibbons said, and one that would provide improved career pathways for people in years to come.

The focus for CETB over the next 18 months would, he said, include “further education and training for those affected by Covid, developing additional opportunities for those in employment and delivering major capital infrastructure developments for primary, post-primary and further education in the Cork region.”

CETB is also in the process of developing a Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB) training facility in Fermoy, which is due to open later this year.

The facility will arm people employed in the construction industry with training on advanced building techniques and technologies, with the aim of supporting Ireland’s climate change commitments to reduce the impact of construction and housing on the environment.