Financial Services Ireland reports:
IFS Apprenticeships, the apprenticeship programme of Ibec’s Financial Services Ireland (FSI), run in collaboration with industry, the National College of Ireland (NCI), SOLAS and the Apprenticeship Council, today hosted a virtual awards ceremony to recognise the achievements of high-performing IFS Apprenticeship Graduates.
Awards were presented to Catherine Farley, IFS Specialist Apprentice Graduate, Ulster Bank, and Helena Gargan, IFS Associate Apprentice Graduate, State Street. Helena was also a member of the winning team in the Consortia Led Generation Apprenticeship Competition 2020.
Speaking at the event, Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins stated: “Last year was a challenging year for everyone - individuals, organisations and society as a whole. I want to commend the work done by the IFS Apprentices, the employers and National College of Ireland in ensuring that the programme ran smoothly. This is a great testament to their commitment to this programme.
“There are now more than 9,000 financial services companies operating in Ireland, employing over 105,000 people throughout the country. Apprenticeships offer real world experience and a solid foundation for a career in financial services, so these apprenticeships will open a lot of avenues for their graduates. I want to congratulate all the apprentices who recently graduated from these programmes and wish them every success in their future careers.”
IFS Apprenticeships is an industry-led initiative and is available to financial services organisations nationwide. The professional and academic outcomes of graduates is second to none:
• Retention: 90% of candidates continue to work in their hiring company on completion of the programme;
• Work-ready graduates: 83% of apprentices are promoted by the completion of the programme;
• Skilled graduates: 100% academic achievement by apprentices.
The programme offers employers a unique opportunity to improve retention and diversity, with participating companies fully supported by the FSI IFS Apprenticeships and NCI teams.
Apprenticeships provide new and exciting opportunities to attract and retain talented individuals to the industry, while helping further define clear career paths for those in the sector. More information on IFS Apprenticeships can be found at www.ifsapprenticeships.ie