Good news for Tipperary apprentices - New and exciting initiative launched

There was a great boost for local training and education   in South Tipperary and surrounds  last week when CTI Clonmel launched an exciting new programme for students with their Apprenticeship Progression Path.

The basis of this new initiative is that after completing a linked course in CTI College in Clonmel, students will have the opportunity to apply for up to nine months off a period of their apprenticeship.

 “It is a great opportunity for students to get a taste of a career like carpentry, pipe fitting or welding before fully committing to it,” said Stephen Buckley who is a teacher in CTI College.

Mayor of Clonmel, Cllr Garret Ahearn, and chairman of Tipperary County Council, Councillor Michael Murphy were present to launch the progression path along with Tommy Coleman from Tipperary ETB. All took time to  commend the college for affording people of the locality this opportunity.

Maura Barry, a teacher in CTI Clonmel noted the change and development of apprenticeships which are no longer solely focused on the traditional – plumbing, carpentry, but also now include industry-orientated apprenticeships such as accounting and insurance. 

“Completing a Further Education course with us here in CTI Clonmel is hugely beneficial as it allows students to have a clear idea in their mind if a career is for them or not before fully committing to it.

“The Irish Times did a study recently and found that one out of every six students are now dropping out of college because they find a course is not for them or they cannot handle the workload. This is costing people thousands of euros.

“By enrolling on a course with us, students not only get a real feel for the career before committing their time and finances to it, they are also more prepared to juggle the workload of college.” said new school principal John McCarthy 

“We constantly have students coming back to us saying that they benefitted massively from completing a course with us here and they really feel that they profited from their time here with us,” added Ciara Connolly, teacher 

The college, which is based at The Mall in Clonmel, has a range of options available to choose from for those just out of school, someone looking to upskill or indeed those looking for a change of career. There are still places available on some of the courses for this academic year.

Check out all the college has to offer on their website: www.ctiseniorcollege.ie