Creating the social foundations for apprenticeship in Ireland

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss Ireland`s national apprenticeship programme, introduced in 1993, in the context of the country`s evolving economic and social policies.Design/methodology/approach: A critical analysis is undertaken of the industrial climate in Ireland, which prevented the introduction of a national apprenticeship programme, until 1993. Findings: The paper argues that the main factor for the successful implementation of this programme in 1993 was the emergence of a new climate of cooperation among the social partners providing the institutional foundations for the programme. This cooperation was a result of the 1991 ground-breaking `social partnership` agreement between employers, trade unions and government, in signing up to a joint national framework programme.