Tipperary woman Grace urges more women to consider taking up an apprenticeship

Tipperary woman and Apprentice of the Year nominee Grace Hanley, DNG Michael Gilmartin Cork says that she is thriving in her apprenticeship, and is calling on more women and career changers to explore 70+ Apprenticeship options

Grace, from Templemore, was commenting ahead of the National Apprenticeship Office (NAO second-ever Generation Apprenticeship Apprentice of the Year awards ceremony in the Round Room of the Mansion House, Dublin on Thursday, October 19.

In the lead up to the event Property Services apprentice Grace and 49 of her fellow Apprentice of the Year award nominees took to the Heroes Stage at WorldSkills Ireland in the RDS, Dublin where they spoke about why they chose the apprenticeship route and shared the career opportunities apprenticeships are creating for them.

Grace is one of the many people across the country choosing to build rewarding careers with apprenticeship.

Now working with DNG Michael Gilmartin Cork, she is one of 222 apprentices nominated for an Apprentice of the Year award and is making strides in her career development in what would have once been seen as a more male-dominated world.

She shares how the apprenticeship has benefited her career greatly.

“Completing an apprenticeship, I am a lot more seen with stronger connections in a smaller group. I’m not going into a college year of 2000 students. I’m in a group of 28 apprentices and I have a designated mentor who can see where I find things difficult or where I have issues.

“I’ve always been looking for a way to progress in life but I just was not sure how to get there. The apprenticeship has given me that option. The combination of gaining professional skills and knowledge in the real world from a mentor and a business owner while also studying in college has been an incredible experience.

“It has complemented my hands-on style of learning, which allows me to see it and then do it! Practice makes perfect, I guess.

“My apprenticeship has provided me with the qualification pathway that reflects everything I want to be and I have made friends along the way. I have changed so much in the last year.

“I have definitely built my confidence. I wouldn’t have been in a position to speak on the Heroes Stage this time last year.

“I’ve grown hugely as a person and I feel like I have a family here in Cork even though I am a Tipperary woman!

“I’m pretty sure my progress is also an overdue recognition for my parents and siblings who have been supporting my earliest business and marketing ideas from my bedroom to our garage from the age of 11 selling rabbits to now selling residential properties.

“After secondary school, I took the traditional route and studied third-level art and design. But it was in my twenties that I had my lightbulb moment of realisation that I wanted to pursue a career in auctioneering and property management.

“And, what better way to do so than earning while learning?”

“It is very important for women to be seen in different industries and to be recognised for their achievements.

“Apprenticeships are growing and women are breaking into industries like construction, engineering, tech, film and TV studies, auctioneering services and everything in between.

“I encourage women to look into apprenticeships. It's been fantastic for me. It means having access to people I can go to and say I’ve no idea what I’m doing here. This is what's happening.

“Why is it happening? They break it down and explain it in a way that I wonder why didn’t think that way before?

“The apprenticeship has changed my way of thinking I guess and what better way to learn something than by putting it into practice on a daily basis and earning a wage at the same time.”

Dr Mary-Liz Trant, Director, National Apprenticeship Office said: “At WorldSkills Ireland this year we had 50 Apprentice of the Year nominees speaking, from all ages and backgrounds, all areas of industry and different apprenticeship programmes.

“The diversity was brilliant, I'm reminded of our Facts, Faces, Futures campaign, which is about making sure that women of all ages and backgrounds are aware of the value-driven opportunities that apprenticeships provide.”