This September, Ireland’s largest skills, apprenticeships and careers event – Worldskills Ireland – will open its doors at the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin, promoting trade industry skills and apprenticeship opportunities for young people as they navigate future options following secondary education.
Following the incredible success of the 2019 event when 12,000 people visited across three-days, the event is returning from Tuesday 13th to Thursday 15th, September, and will be a live celebration of apprenticeships, skills and careers to inspire young people from across the country.
Construction and Infrastructure, and exploring the future of the built environment and how workforce skills and supply challenges can be tackled, will be a key focus at this year’s event.
Worldskills Ireland 2022 has been designed to raise the profile and recognition of skills and apprenticeships
Across three action-packed days, the event will bring young people together through interactive events and demonstrations and will give them the opportunity to meet face to- face with employers who are ready to recruit.
Supported by industry partners, SISK, Designer Group, Construction Industry Federation, ESB Networks and Autodesk, and Education Partners including, The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), The Higher Education Authority (HEA), SOLAS and NAO.
Worldskills Ireland 2022 has been designed to raise the profile and recognition of skills and apprenticeships, preparing the talent of today for the careers of the future. At the heart of The Show, are the National Skills Finals.
This sees Ireland’s most talented apprentices and students compete to be named the champion in skills ranging from Welding and Cooking through to Bricklaying and Cyber Security.
Designed by industry experts, the competitions equip apprentices and students with the world-class skills needed to help Irish businesses better compete globally.
Register to visit now at www.worldskillsireland.ie
Opening hours are from 10am – 5pm and group time slots will be allocated from 10am – noon or from 1pm – 3pm. Attendance is free.
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- Photos: David O’Shea
What’s on
Industry-led and demand-driven, apprenticeships equip learners with employment-ready skills which will be showcased across the three days at Worldskills Ireland.
Watch as inspiring celebrity chefs, software developers and aircraft designers tell their own personal stories of success on the ‘Heroes’ stage, sponsored by Mercury Engineering.
Listen to career advice from employers and learn which companies are hiring apprentices at the ‘Skills Careers Live’ space or even participate in a skills demonstration.
Worldskills Ireland isset to inspire the next generation of skilled young people to follow their passions, interests and talents for the securement of their own future, and of Ireland’s.
From Hospitality and Tourism, Health and Lifestyle, to Construction and Infrastructure, Engineering and Technology and NEW for 2022 all things Digital, Business and Creative, Worldskills Ireland gives students the chance to discover the key skills and sectors that drive the Irish economy.
Graduate viewpoint
Luke O’Keeffe a 2019 Gold Medal winner in BIM (Digital Construction) now Project Manager with GagaMuller Group reflects on how Worldskills Ireland has helped to led him to where he is today.
“Competing in Worldskills Ireland opened up more opportunities than I even imagined. Not only was it a chance for me to test myself and compete against my peers, it also gave me the opportunity to stand out from the typical graduate when looking for job opportunities after my course.
“After the competition in 2019, I was invited to multiple conferences and events, and it helped grow my network and as a result that’s how I got my current job. The event at the RDS, Dublin is a great opportunity for young people to go and view the vast array of skills, see the best people in the country competing against each other and also to meet with employers from across the country.”
Career opportunities
Patrick Atkinson is CEO of Chadwicks Group, product supplier to all of the construction competitions. He believes there is a greater need to communicate with students, teachers and parents regarding skills and apprenticeships as a real career option.
“As a country we have been really good at providing third level education to our young people for several decades now. But in our haste to improve education, and as part of that pendulum swing, we seem to have forgotten the value of learning a skill or trade. This form of third level education is almost viewed at a lower level than other university qualifications and we need a concerted effort to change that.
“We need to pivot the conversation around education as a whole and create an educational environment like Germany, Switzerland and indeed France where vocational education and academic education are viewed in the same way and at the same level. Not everyone wants to learn by sitting in a lecture theatre, but instead learn by doing and being physically engaged in the job from the start and a big benefit is, you earn as you learn.
“A large proportion of qualified tradespeople go on to work for themselves and remain in control of their own destiny. Of course, we need accountants and lawyers but without skills we would have no economy.”
