Closing the Skills Gap with Apprenticeships 28 April

Futurist Alvin Toffler famously remarked that the illiterate of the 21st century will be those who can’t learn, unlearn, and relearn again. His remarks made nearly 50 years ago in his groundbreaking book Future Shock, are more relevant now than ever before.

An increasing divideis opening up between the skilled and the un-skilled and those with less skills today are also less likely to be engaged in the kind of learning and development needed to allow them to adapt to the world of work. To try and fill this gap, governments around the world have initiated policies designed to encourage apprenticeships that allow people to learn a trade on the job.

This webinar unpacks the maze of apprenticeship opportunities for employers in Northern Ireland, finding a way through the challenges to achieve a talent pipeline. We will hear from both an employer and an apprentice on the benefits and opportunities apprenticeships can offer, as well as from Richard Kirk who founded Workplus to bring apprentices and apprenticeship employers together.

This webinar is free to Londonderry Chamber members.

If you are not a member of the Chamber and would like to attend this webinar, please email anna@londonderrychamber.co.uk.

Speaker bios:

Richard Kirk, CEO & Founder, Workplus

Richard started Workplus to give employers an easier way to find apprentices by providing a single place for applicants to apply, as well as ensuring a simple, thorough selection process for employers.

Since it was establishedin 2015, Workplus has helped hundreds of apprentices find their roles incompanies across Northern Ireland, from multi-national IT and engineering firms to fast-growing SMEs. Richard is a member of the Skills Strategy Advisory Group within the Department for the Economy. Formerly Regional Director of ICE from 2011-2019, Richard is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and holds an MBA from Queen’s University ManagementSchool.

Keith Bingham

Keith Bingham is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Associate Director at AECOM – a multinational engineering company which has offices in UK and Ireland. Keith is also a part-time lecturer at South Eastern Regional College. He is a passionate advocate of the benefits of apprenticeships and leads AECOM locally in this area.

Jane McMonagle

Jane McMonagle is an apprentice with Atkins. She is currently studying for an MEng in civil engineering at Ulster University. A major project she has worked on is the Belfast Tidal Flood Alleviation Scheme, which was commissioned by Department for Infrastructure Rivers. Jane is from Derry and attended North West Regional Collegeand Thornhill College.