The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship, Ireland’s first honours degree apprenticeship, welcomed its new intake of students last week with 85 new apprentices from all across the country beginning the three year ‘earn and learn’ programme.
First launched in 2016, The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship is helping to reshape the landscape of apprenticeships in Ireland as it enables apprentices to work for an insurance employer, while also studying for a BA Hons in Insurance Practice.
The programme is run by the Insurance Institute, and is delivered online in partnership with IT Sligo. Just into its second-year, the Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship has garnered much attention and places are in high demand.
16 of the the new Insurance Practitioner Apprentices are based in County Galway.
The Insurance Institute received over 1,500 registrations of interest in the 2017 programme, with candidates evenly spilt across graduates, career changers, and school leavers.
Some of the new Insurance Apprentices at Induction Day in IT Sligo last Friday.
The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship is completely unique, as apprentices gain real life on the job experience, while also working towards a third-level qualification. Commenting on the beginning of the second year of the programme, Sandra Harvey Graham, Apprenticeship Programme Manager, The Insurance Institute, said:
“We are thrilled with the success of the apprenticeship programme to date, while only in its infancy it has grown by 20% since its first year and impressively holds the record for the largest intake at any one time of apprentices, to any course or programme in the country. We want to see this success continue, and remain at the forefront of what modern apprenticeships look like in Ireland.”
“At The Insurance Institute, we are passionate about lifelong learning, and we developed The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship not only to respond to the needs of the insurance industry but because we wanted to create something sustainable which would modernise insurance as a career.”
Dr Michael Barrett (IT Sligo), Sandra Harvey-Graham (Insurance Apprenticeship Programme Manager, The Insurance Institute) & Dermot Molloy (CEO, The Insurance Institute).
“IT Sligo is proud to be the academic partner in the development of this programme along with The Insurance Institute,” said Dr. Michael Barrett, Head of School of Business & Social Sciences at IT Sligo.
“Enabling students to realise their full potential is a core mission of ours here in Sligo, and we look forward to watching the careers of this new intake of apprentices flourish over the coming years.”
James Groden (Hastings Insurance Brokers, Westport) & Agata Pociejkowicz (Brady Insurance, Carrick-on-Shannon) are two of the new Insurance Practitioner apprentices who began their new online education journey last Friday.
The Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship was first launched in September 2016, and was Ireland’s first, earn and learn honours degree programme. The Government funded apprenticeship (students pay only €600 in registration fees annually) is run in partnership with IT Sligo and for the first time this year, the Life Insurance Association (LIA). Apprentices complete the degree portion online through distance learning over three years.
The minimum entry requirements include two honours in higher level subjects in the Leaving Cert and a pass in four additional subjects including English/Irish and Maths. Alternatively, if applicants are over 23, interviews or other selection tools may be used.
For more information on the programme please visit www.earnandlearn.ie