The minimum age at which the employment of an apprentice may commence is 16 years of age.

The minimum educational requirements are:

Grade D or "Achieved" in five subjects in the Department of Education & Skills Junior Certificate Examination or an approved equivalent,

or

The successful completion of an approved Pre-Apprenticeship course,

or

Three years’ work experience gained over sixteen years of age in a relevant designated industrial activity as SOLAS shall deem acceptable.

You must obtain a job as an apprentice in your chosen occupation. Your employer must be approved to train apprentices and must register you as an apprentice within 2 weeks of recruitment.

In this apprenticeship applicants are required to pass a colour vision test approved by SOLAS.

Note: These are the current approved minimum educational requirements for apprenticeship programmes, however, previous experience of the following subjects would be an advantage but not essential:

• Technical Drawing/Graphics
• Physics
• Technology
• Mathematics

Please note: To become an instrumentation apprentice you must pass the Ishihara Colour Vision Test (24 Plate Edition). For further information, contact your local Education and Training Board

Phase 1: With Employer

• Induction Training
• Introduction to Health & Safety
• Introduction to Tools & Equipment
• Introduction to Basic Skills 

Phase 2: Delivered in Training Centre (24 weeks) 

Course Content:

• Induction
• Basic Engineering
• Electrical 1
• Electronics 1
• Measurements - Pressure
• Measurements - Flow
• Measurements - Level
• Measurements - Temperature
• Final Control Elements
• Automatic Control
• Related Theory 

• Work Based Training and Assessments 

Phase 4: Delivered in Educational College (11 weeks) 

• Work Based Training and Assessments 

Phase 6: Delivered in Educational College (11 weeks)

Course Content: 

• Digital Electronics
• Measurements
• Control Systems
• Related Theory 

Phase 7: With Employer

• Work Based Training and Assessments 

• SETU-Carlow Campus (IT Carlow)

• Further information is also available from your local Education and Training Board.

As an Instrumentation craftsperson you will need to be physically active and to be able to work with your hands.

An awareness of health and safety and good housekeeping is essential as well as attention to detail and an eye for the aesthetic.

The Instrumentation craftsperson must have the ability to:

• Plan and organise
• Communicate effectively
• Solve problems
• Work independently and as part of a team
• Show a positive attitude
• Recognise the need for good customer relations
• Demonstrate good work practices including time keeping, tidiness, responsibility, quality awareness and safety awareness

Core Skills

• Installation, maintenance and calibration of process measurement and control equipment.
• Installation and maintenance of protection and safety shut-down systems in the process industry.

Specialist Skills

Installation and maintenance of:

• First-up Systems
• Shut Down Systems
• Analytical Instrumentation
• Telemetry
• Weighing Systems
• Vibration Monitoring
• Data and Scada Systems
• Information Gathering and Logging Systems

Note: A person wishing to become an apprentice Instrumentation Craftsperson must pass a colour–vision test approved by SOLAS.

• Learning and developing new practical craft-related skills, knowledge and competence
• Working with and learning from experienced craftspersons
• Working with electricity and electronics
• Comply with Health and Safety requirements
• Using mathematics to solve technical or scientific problems
• Being responsible for controlling or adjusting equipment
• Working on machines/processes
• Understanding technical drawings and diagrams
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Being accurate with numbers in counting, measuring and arithmetic
• Keeping accurate records of all calibrations or reports
• Being well organised and careful with practical tasks
• Taking responsibility for their own learning, including the allocation of study time
• Being physically active
• Working with a variety of specialised hand tools, power tools and equipment
• Passing all your phase exams (theory, practicals skills demonstration)
• Earning as you learn

On successful completion of the apprenticeship programme, apprentices are qualified to work within the recognised trade or profession. 

Opportunities arise from time-to-time for promotion to supervisor level. Many craftspersons use their apprenticeship qualification as a platform to launch careers such as engineers, managers, owners of businesses, teachers and instructors amongst others.

This apprenticeship is a progression route to the electrical or electronic engineering Level 8 Degree path.

Where apprentices and craftspeople have the necessary ability, initiative and basic qualifications, opportunities are available for advancement. These include advanced technological and management courses which are available in institutes of technology, schools of management, professional institutes, etc.

Note: People in employment have a number of options for both Educational and Career Progression. It might also be possible to gain promotion within your existing company.  By using your existing qualifications and your experience you might to able to secure an alternative position in a more senior role in another company. It may also be possible to set up your own company based again on your existing qualifications and experience.  Whatever route you decide to take remember education is a lifelong pursuit and you can always continue to up skill and/or retrain, whatever your age.  Links to some educational and enterprise supports can be found below.    

Career Progression Useful Links:  

Educational Supports:  

On completion of an apprenticeship your educational progression options may be offered as full awards on the NFQ levels 7-10 National Framework .  You may also decide to embark on a partial award or to up skill in a particular area by undertaking a short specialised course.  

Depending on your skills, knowledge and experience some of the opportunities below might be appropriate to help develop your Career pathway.   

• Springboard & conversion courses  
• Skillnet Sector learning network courses
• Skills to advance Local ETB Board
• Further education training centres Fetchcourses
• Post graduate education Search Post Graduate options

Enterprise and Self-Employment Support:

On completion of anapprenticeship if you feel you have the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience you may decide to set up your own business. The links below might be useful to support you:

• Local Enterprise Offices, For profit Local enterprise support
• Local Area partnerships For profit enterprise support
• Social entrepreneurs: Not-for-profit enterprise support
• Franchising: Developing your business under an established franchise

In order to secure an apprenticeship, you must first secure a contract with an employer. You must apply directly to an employer rather than the training provider. Once you have found an employer to take you on as an apprentice, your employer must then register you as an apprentice with SOLAS.

• The employer must be approved to train apprentices.
• The employer must register you as an apprentice within two weeks of recruitment.

To find an apprenticeship, you can search apprenticeship vacancies and a list of currently approved apprentice employers on the Apprenticeship Jobs & Employers Portal. You can search for vacancies by location, and employers in each apprenticeship.

Use this link to explore a list of Approved Employers by Region and by Apprenticeship type.

Please note: To become an apprentice you must pass the Ishihara Colour Vision Test (24 Plate Edition). For further information, contact your local Education and Training Board.

Opportunities for this Apprenticeship arise on an ongoing basis throughout the year. In order to secure an apprenticeship contract of employment, you should target companies you would like to do your apprenticeship with by applying directly to them. 

• SETU Carlow campus Institute of Technology Carlow

Colour vision requirements

Instrumentation Apprenticeship applicants are required to pass a colour vision test approved by SOLAS.

Further information is also available from your local Education and Training Board.

Finding an employer and securing your apprenticeship

Finding an employer or registering your interest with an official Coordinating Provider is one of the first things you need to do to start an apprenticeship.

Online Jobsites

Here are some direct links to employment websites that frequently list apprenticeship vacancies.

Note: These websites may include vacancies that are not QQI accredited Apprenticeships.

As an apprentice, you earn while you learn.

Employment Salary (On-the-job)
The employer pays you a salary while you are being trained on-the-job. The rate of pay is agreed between you and your employer.

Training Allowance (Off-the-job)
A training allowance is paid by the local Education and Training Board (ETB) while you are attending the off-the-job training. In some cases, a contribution towards travel or accommodation costs may be paid.

The sector the apprentice's employer is engaged in will determine the allowance payable. These allowances are calculated on the gross wages paid by industry in each sector. The weekly gross wage norms for different industries are listed below.

Connect trade Union

Information on taxation of off-the-job payments can be found here.

Apprentices complete two of their three phases of off-the-job training in a higher education institution. A student contribution must be paid for this part of the training.

The amount of the student contribution is a proportion of the annual student contribution paid by students who are attending a full-time course in higher education. The student contribution is paid directly to the higher education institution.

The student contribution for this apprenticeship is €1,000 for Phase 4 and €1,000 for Phase 6