LIMERICK Apprentice of the Year nominee Mairide Bennis flew the flag for her home county last week when she shared her experiences on the World Skills’ Heroes Stage in the RDS.
She was among the 187 nominees at the World Skills Ireland event where top apprentice talent from a diverse range of Ireland’s leading industries were celebrated.
Commenting on her reasoning for choosing the apprenticeship route as a career, Mairide said: “The fact that you can get invaluable industry experience and knowledge in a company and come out with a degree from a Technological University with no student debt is a no brainer for me”.
“There is such a broad range of apprenticeships available today that go far beyond the traditional trade courses”.
Mairide is apprenticed at DesignPro Automation, and is one of Ireland’s 1500-strong female apprentice population.
The apprentice showcase was an opportunity for students, guidance counsellors, and teachers to hear from a range of inspirational apprentices, who shared their real-life experiences earning, learning, and developing work-ready as part of some of Ireland’s leading industries.
The 27 Limerick nominees, of which Mairide is one, represent outstanding talent from a number of industries including technology, transport, food, engineering, hairdressing, and much more.
Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins, who delivered the opening address, said: “More and more employers are choosing to recruit apprentices – and with good reason”.
“This event will showcase apprentices with outstanding career qualities of teamwork, leadership, creativity, and problem-solving, helping the organisations they work for to grow and prosper, while they themselves build a promising career.
“Now is the time to encourage more industries to choose apprenticeship as a talent pipeline, with Government support of a gender-based bursary worth €2,666 and an apprenticeship employer grant worth €2,000 per apprentice per year.”
