Induction
Apprenticeship route opens new door into Quantity Surveying profession
Atlantic Technological University (ATU) will welcome Ireland's first Quantity Surveying Apprenticeship on Monday, creating a new pathway into one of the country's most in-demand professions and offering students the opportunity to earn while they learn.
The new four-year programme, coordinated by ATU, is an alternative from the traditional full-time university model and reflects a growing shift towards industry-led apprenticeships in professional sectors.
Developed under Ireland’s apprenticeship framework, the programme combines paid employment with higher education, allowing apprentices to spend four days a week working in industry and one day studying online. Graduates will receive a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Quantity Surveying and will be eligible to pursue chartered status through the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI).
The initiative arrives at a time of increased demand for quantity surveyors across Ireland, where the profession remains on the State’s Critical Skills Occupations List amid ongoing pressures in the construction and infrastructure sectors.
The Quantity Surveying Apprenticeship has been developed through a consortium model involving higher education institutions, industry representatives, professional bodies and state agencies. ATU acts as the coordinating provider, with plans to expand national delivery through collaboration with Technological University Dublin, the Technological University of the Shannon and Munster Technological University.
The programme is designed to appeal to school leavers as well as individuals already working in construction-related roles who wish to formalise and advance their skills while remaining in employment.
For many prospective students, the apprenticeship may also offer a practical solution to some of the barriers currently facing third-level education. With accommodation shortages continuing to affect universities across Ireland, the largely online model allows apprentices to remain in their local communities while pursuing a recognised honours degree.
Students will attend virtual lectures throughout the academic year and travel to ATU’s Sligo campus only at the beginning of each semester for induction and collaborative learning sessions with fellow apprentices and academic staff.
Central to the programme is a strong emphasis on workplace learning. Each apprentice will be employed from the outset and will work under the guidance of a designated industry mentor. Academic supervisors from ATU will maintain regular contact with both apprentices and mentors to ensure learning outcomes are being achieved and to identify any gaps in professional development.
Employers participating in the programme must register through the National Apprenticeship Office and complete a validation process involving the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland and SOLAS. Once approved, employers can recruit apprentices through apprenticeship.ie and provide structured work experience aligned with the programme’s academic requirements.
The apprenticeship has been overseen by a Consortium Steering Group comprising representatives from industry, academia, professional organisations, trade unions and apprentices themselves. The model reflects the Government’s strategy of expanding apprenticeships beyond traditional crafts and into professions such as finance, engineering, information technology and the built environment.
Supporters of the initiative believe it will help diversify access to the profession while addressing workforce shortages that threaten the delivery of housing, infrastructure and commercial development projects.
Professor Graham Heaslip Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Computing at ATU, said the programme represents an important evolution in how professional education is delivered in Ireland.
Ireland urgently needs more quantity surveyors, and this apprenticeship removes the barriers that have kept talented people out of the profession. An apprentice can earn a wage from day one, graduate debt-free with an honour’s degree, and walk straight into a chartered career, all without leaving their own community to do it. This is exactly the kind of bold, industry-connected model higher education needs to deliver if we are serious about building the housing and infrastructure this country needs.
The students will be paid while in employment. Employment can be outside the island, but the employer must be registered within the island of Ireland to register with the NAO. The academic supervisor will be in regular contact with the students and the industrial mentor to check on progress and any gaps in learning.
To be part of this national programme, the following are the steps to be taken for the new apprentice to commence the apprenticeship:
1. The Employer expresses an interest with apprenticeship.ie
2. The Employer attends an Employer Briefing
3. The Employer sends details to the SCSI
4. The SCSI validates the Employer (mentor, function etc.)
5. An Authorised Officer (SOLAS) visits the Employer
6. The Employer is registered and listed on apprenticeship.ie
7. The Employer advertises apprentices on apprenticeship.ie
8. The Employer appoints an Apprentice
9. The Apprentice registers with SOLAS
10. The Apprentice registers with ATU
With registrations now open, ATU and its industry partners are optimistic that the programme will attract a broad range of applicants and help build the next generation of quantity surveyors at a time when demand for skilled professionals has rarely been greater.
Photo caption: ATU’s first Quantity Surveying Apprenticeship programme welcomed the new apprentices with ATU academic and programme staff at induction on the Sligo campus this week.
For media enquiries, contact:
Aidan Haughey
Communications Manager
Tel: 086 086 6913
E: aidan.haughey@atu.ie
