The Irish Motor Industry is looking to recruit Apprentices throughout Ireland. 
Apprenticeships include Motor Mechanics, Heavy Vehicle Mechanics, Vehicle Body Repairs, Agricultural Mechanics and Construction Plant Fitting.

In order to undertake an apprenticeship a candidate must find a suitable employer to take them on for the duration of their four year apprenticeship. 
They then register with SOLAS, who oversee the Training programme and award of the National Craft Certificate Standard.

SIMI Member companies have various apprenticeships available, in counties throughout Ireland. 
To send your CV to an employer simply, select the category of Apprenticeship below that you wish to apply for and the location

Click Here for current apprenticeships available 

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) is committed to an innovative and progressive approach to career development in the industry. SIMI has worked closely with SOLAS to develop occupational profiles and training plans for employees in the Motor Industry. This is designed to provide a career path with the potential to progress to higher qualifications while also developing and progressing in the employment.

Are you passionate about cars, enjoy problem solving, learning about new technology and looking for a hands on career?
Then a Motor Industry Apprenticeship may be for you! 

There are a few apprenticeships to choose from

• The Craft of Motor Mechanics
• Heavy Vehicle Mechanic
• Vehicle Body Repairs
• Agricultural Mechanic
• Construction Plant Fitting 

 The information and videos below will give you an insight into how to apply for and the process involved in becoming an Apprentice.    

A 4 four-year apprenticeship, where you will become a fully qualified motor mechanic, with a QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate Craft – Motor Mechanics. A motor mechanic may choose to work in a dealership, repair shop or test centres like the NCT.  

This is a four-year apprenticeship, where you will become a fully qualified vehicle body repairer, with a QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate Craft – Vehicle Body Repairs. 

Vehicle body repairer may work in garages with vehicle repair facilities and in ‘specialised’ repair shops.

The Irish Motor Industry is proud of the reputation for quality in Apprenticeship training that we have earned over the years which is recognised not just in Ireland but Internationally. A Motor Industry Apprenticeship is recognised world-wide but an Irish qualification has a very high reputation based on the performance of Irish Apprenticeships in International Skills Competitions.

The Gold Medal for Automobile Technology has been won by an Irish technician / apprentice in recent World Skills Olympics while in the remaining competition a Bronze Medal was won. This level of performance against countries such as US, Germany, Japan, Korea etc. underlines the status an Irish qualification enjoys.

To apply for a Motor Apprenticeship, first contact your local ETB or SOLAS Training centre who can confirm if you meet the entry requirements for your chosen apprenticeship and when your application has been approved, please check our Current Vacancies Section to apply for an Apprenticeship in your area: https://www.simi.ie/en/careers-overview/careers

Once you have found a suitable employer to take you on for the duration of the apprenticeship you can then be registered with SOLAS, who will provide you with details of the Training Release programme and the projected completion date for achieving the National Craft Certificate Standard.

Learn More about the Apprenticeships Available

• The Craft of Motor Mechanics
• Heavy Vehicle Mechanic
• Vehicle Body Repairs
• Agricultural Mechanic
• Construction Plant Fitting 
• Sales

Educational Requirements
Apprentices must be at least 16 years of age and have a minimum of 5 achieves in the  Junior Certificate or equivalent. However, employers may require additional minimum qualifications.
Where individuals do not meet the minimum requirements they may be registered as an apprentice by an employer if:

They satisfactorily complete an approved preparatory training course and assessment interview. For information on these courses, please contact your local ETB - EDUCATIONAL TRAINING BOARD

or

They are over 18 years of age with a minimum of three years of relevant work experience and satisfactorily complete an assessment interview.

Apprentices must be employed in their chosen occupation by an employer who has been approved by SOLAS. The employer must register the apprentice with SOLAS within 2 weeks of recruitment.

An apprentice is a person who works for an employer in their chosen occupation and gains the necessary skills, knowledge and competencies to become a qualified craftsperson. The duration of an apprenticeship is a minimum of 4 years.

The apprenticeship system is a modular standards-based system comprising of 7 alternating phases of training and development - four on-the-job and three off-the-job. On successful completion of your apprenticeship, you will receive a FETAC Level 6 Advanced Craft Certificate. This qualification is recognised both nationally and internationally.

Other Requirement:
A person wishing to become an apprentice in one of the select automotive categories must pass a colour-vision test (the “Ishihara” Colour Vision Test 24 Plate Edition).

How to write a Curriculum Vitae (CV)

A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a critical document in portraying an image that you wish to present to a potential employer, as this will be their first impression of you. Your CV is a selling document; it sells your qualifications, skills and achievements to a potential 'employer', informs them of any extra-curricular activities, your employment history, and your hobbies/interests while also projecting your personality.

In order for your CV to achieve all of these things, you should ensure that you present your CV in a manner that is grammatical correct, clear, concise, and truthful i.e. your claims match your work and educational history etc. CVs are presented in a variety of different formats, however, the following basic information should be contained in a CV.

Curriculum Vitae (CV) Headings:
Personal details:

• Name
• Address,
• Contact telephone number (landline and/or mobile)
• Email address
• Date of birth (optional).

Career Objective or Opening statement (optional) You can state what you are aiming for at this stage and what skills you have to offer in relation to your objective. This is useful when confirming your interest in a particular job or employment sector.

Education and Qualifications

• Recent qualifications appear first.
• Give the full title of your degree, diploma or certificates awards and the time frame of completion.
• If you studied outside of Ireland, indicate qualification equivalence if possible.
• Junior Certificate results or Leaving Certificate results (whichever is most recent).

Employment history

• Start with your most recent job.
• Employers are interested in any work experience whether immediately relevant or not.
• Include any vocation/voluntary work experience that you have.
• Emphasise what you have learned and how you have made a difference to your employer.
• Emphasise the skills gained in each job.

Interests and activities
Mention any positions of responsibility that you have held in societies/clubs in any outside organisations. Emphasise any skills that you have gained, e.g. teamwork, leadership, organisational etc.

Achievements
An achievement is any activity you have completed successfully.

Referees
Get permission before you use someone as a referee and include their name, job title, address, email and telephone number.

How long should a CV be?
If possible, try to keep your CV short and concise. Include summaries of your employment and education, rather than lots of details. Use formal and well-written language, writing simply and clearly.

Proof Read Your CV
Double-check your CV for typos and grammatical errors. Ask someone else to review it for you in case you have overlooked any errors (also use spell check). Look at the format of your CV and ensure it is easy on the eye to read. Use normal margins (1" on the top and bottom, 1.25" on the sides) and don't cram your information onto the page. Allow for some room between the different sections. Avoid unusual or exotic font styles; use simple fonts with a professional look.

Emailing CVs – Useful Tip
When sending an Employer an attachment, resist the temptation to simply save your CV as 'CV.doc' - imagine being the person at the other end who has to rename CVs before saving them!

Other Resources

There are numerous books and website that contain information on how to write curriculum vitae (CV). One example: Gradireland.com - Ireland's graduate website has a detailed section on applications.
 

A consortium of industry leaders from the sales sector in conjunction with Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board are delighted to announce that the new Level 6 Sales Apprenticeship has been recommended for validation by QQI.  QQI are an agency of the Department of Education and Skills with responsibilities for quality assurance of education and training and qualifications in Ireland. All QQI validated programmes are quality assured, are nationally and internationally recognised, offer access to further and higher education and training opportunities and are recognised by employers.

This is a 2 year programme and upon successful completion, the apprentice will graduate with the knowledge, skills and competencies required to be a sales specialist. 

For further information relating to this new apprenticeship, please email apprenticeship@msletb.ie  

To find out further information about apprenticeships 

 SOLAS or www.apprenticeship.ie