NEWS - DEVELOPMENTS New Era of Apprenticeship-based Degrees as LIT launches Engineering Apprenticeship For the first time in Ireland, completion of an apprenticeship will lead to the award of a Bachelor of Engineering degree. LIT’s new apprenticeship in Industrial Electrical Engineering is a two year programme which will lead to qualified electricians being awarded with a BEng qualification. The initiative is a completely new apprenticeship model for engineering in Ireland and those who complete this programme will become engineers qualified to play a key role in the design, construction and operation of the factories of the future. Commenting at the launch of the scheme, LIT President Professor Vincent Cunnane said “LIT is absolutely committed to this new apprenticeship model. We want to see people achieve progression through apprenticeship-based degrees. We want to see people learning while earning. This is a model which we believe will succeed, and one that can be LIT Scholarship Fund for DEIS School Students Leaders@LIT is a Student Scholarship Programme which reflects LIT’s ethos. It is the only programme of its kind at this scale that specifically supports students who come from DEIS schools into higher education. 54 third level students from DEIS schools across Limerick are being sustained in their studies by this programme valued at €600,000 this year and run as an initiative of the LIT Foundation and LIT is delighted that WP Engine has become the latest FDI company to join the Leaders@LIT programme. Last year, we announced our intention to increase the fund to €1 million within three years in order to extend the benefit of it to as many donors and as many scholars as possible and twelve months later, we’re at a value of €600,000, with more donors interested in coming on board. At the recent presentation ceremony, former Munster and Ireland Rugby legend, Paul O’Connell, representing PINERGY, a key sponsor of the scholarships said “This programme is unique and transformational in that it seeks to purely target students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Limerick and take the barriers to higher education away for them. I have supported this scholarship programme since the beginning, and look forward to doing so as it grows in the future.” For further information on the initiative, contact the LIT Access Office at: access@lit.ie applied in other sectors. This apprenticeship is at the forefront of how learning is changing in Ireland. LIT is close to industry, and that’s what has enabled us to introduce this model in Ireland. This new programme is a breakthrough – it is the only engineering degree in Ireland that can be earned through an apprenticeship”. The model has been developed in collaboration with the Electrical, Engineering, Automation and Manufacturing Sectors, who identified a need for qualified people to address critical skills gaps in these sectors. Speaking at the launch of the apprenticeship, Barry O’Sullivan, General Manager at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland said “This apprenticeship will provide people with the skills that will underpin Irish manufacturing as it makes a major leap forward using intelligent automation and the internet of things. The reality is that for industry to expand, it requires a pool of people educated in this way. The development of programmes like this helps to secure investment and employment here into the future. This apprenticeship is a viable alternative to a full time third level course, and reflects the strong demand in industry for “Trade Qualified” Engineers. This is how it must be viewed”. SPOTLIGHT
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