Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor was in the Institute of Technology Sligo today to officially launch the fourth year of the Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship Programme. This honours degree programme is aimed at preparing insurance professionals for the world of work, delivered by IT Sligo in partnership with the Insurance Institute and the Life Insurance Association. This year will see the first set of apprentices graduate from the programme.

The Minister expressed her delight at being able to also welcome the newly-enrolled 72 first-year apprentices into the Insurance Apprenticeship Programme. She opened her address quoting W.B. Yeats: “As you come together as a class for the first time, I would like to say to you all, ‘There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met.’ As you go through this programme I expect you will make long lasting friends who will become your work and social colleagues for many years to come. I am honoured to be here today to witness the beginning of your new careers and in some small way be a part of your new journey through higher education.”

The Minister also congratulated the Insurance Institute and Sligo IT on such an innovative programme, stating, “Your profession saw the value in the apprenticeship model and in light of that I would like to thank each employer involved, Sligo IT and the Insurance Institute along with the Life Insurance Association for their tireless work in providing this pioneering programme. Apprenticeships give our school leavers another path to a rewarding career, they allow them to earn and learn, gaining employment in one of Ireland’s largest and most diverse sectors while achieving an honours degree.”