Northern Ireland: how apprentices underpin Belfast’s fintech boom

Northern Ireland might not typically be considered a trailblazer – with the smallest population of the four devolved nations, its economy trundles behind the UK average – but when it comes to apprenticeships, the region is a leading light.

“There may have been a sense in the past of Northern Ireland lagging behind the rest of the UK economically in terms of business growth and innovation, but today it’s an exciting place to be for commercial development and investment,” says Richard Kirk, director of Workplus, a partnership approach between employers, the Department for Education, further education colleges and Ulster University.

The Belfast-based business has helped almost 100 apprentices find work in Northern Ireland, and this year that figure is set to double.

Belfast is currently a leading city in Europe for new software development and, according to the Department for International Trade last year, the world’s number one destination for fintech development projects. But with such growth comes challenges – namely how to meet demand for skilled workers. Although Northern Irish employers have only been actively exploring apprenticeships beyond A-level since 2014, when the Northern Ireland Strategy on Apprenticeships was published, local businesses increasingly recognise the value of apprenticeships in meeting demand for future talent.

Workplus was initially established to address the skills gap in the Stem sector in Northern Ireland, but employers of all kinds now offer a range of apprenticeship options from GCSE to master’s degree level. Apprentices learn on the job, with tuition fees covered and mentoring and support provided. The attrition rate is low, with 95% of those who began the Workplus programme still on board. “In the general workforce, employers are used to an attrition of 15%,” says Kirk. “Apprentices are three times more likely to stick around.”

The figures are also impressive compared with the attrition rate for undergraduate degree courses, which saw drop-out rates go up for the third year in a row in 2018.

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Apprenticeships are available across a diverse range of activities, from repair and construction associated with historic buildings, to nature conservation skills to tackle loss of biodiversity and the climate crisis.

Across the UK, all projects funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund must be able to demonstrate that a wide range of people will benefit, and one way projects have achieved this is by offering opportunities for skills training to apprentices.

One forthcoming apprenticeship opportunity relates to a heritage project at the former entrance block of Enniskillen Workhouse, County Fermanagh. Major repair and conservation works will facilitate a dedicated heritage skills and education programme, in which more than 100 local craftspeople and contractors will benefit from accredited training in heritage skills, with 12 NVQ Level 3 apprenticeships being created.