The courses were launched and developed in 2017 by Ibec trade association, Irish MedTech, alongside universities such as Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Munster Technological University (MTU).
The apprenticeships focus on supporting manufacturing sectors from MedTech, biopharma, polymer technology as well as engineering, machinery and construction.
Since 2017, over 600 apprentices have been registered and 100 companies have now been engaged with the programme.
"We are delighted to confirm that our manufacturing engineering apprenticeships will be available in Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) in Summer 2025, providing an exciting opportunity for employers on the east coast of Ireland to access this successful national programme which has been developed by industry, for industry," Trish Breen, Programme Manager of the Medtech and Engineering Apprenticeships at Ibec told RTE News.
"Employers may decide to recruit apprentice candidates externally, but it is also a fantastic opportunity to upskill existing employees and grow your own engineering talent pipeline internally," Ms Breen said.
The year has already seen several apprentichsip schemes continue in the Irish region including the return of World Skills Ireland this June.
