Civil Engineering Technician Apprenticeship

Locations: Mayo and Kilkenny

The Office of Public Works (OPW) is offering training opportunities for Civil Engineering Technicians.

An Overview of the Civil Engineering Technician Apprenticeship

An apprenticeship is a full-time programme that combines work-based learning with a formal training programme. Throughout your apprenticeship, you will work as a full-time member of staff with your employer, the Office of Public Works, who will release you to attend the structured training programme with the training provider – the earn-as-you-learn approach.

The Role

As an Apprentice Civil Engineering Technician, you will learn how to:

• Operate and maintain surface water and rainfall monitoring stations;
• Undertake flow measurement using the latest technology;
• Install new monitoring stations;
• Operate and maintain telemetry equipment;
• Quality assess and manage collected hydrometric data;
• Plan and set-out construction projects, and measure and record progress;
• Undertake surveys of rivers, lakes and coastal locations using the latest technology including drones and GIS;
• Manage office administration.

Eligibility to Participate in the Programme

Candidates must be eighteen years old, on or before the closing date, 10 April 2025, and meet the Eligibility Requirements as defined below.

The assignment as apprentice is for the duration of the apprenticeship programme and is subject to the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956 to 2005, the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Assignments) Act 2004 and any other Act for the time being in force relating to the Civil Service. Continuation in employment in the apprenticeship position is subject to satisfactorily meeting all the requirements of the apprenticeship programme, including passing the required college/training modules and performing the duties as directed.

Please note that no credit/exemptions to any of the learning modules will be granted to candidates on the basis of certified learning that has occurred prior to admission. All training and certification elements of the Civil Engineering Technician Apprenticeship must still be met in order to successfully complete the programme.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements

Candidates must at the Closing date –

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Possess a current full, clean driving licence (Category B);
• Possess solid literacy, verbal and numeracy skills;
• Possess good computer skills.

Minimum Educational Qualifications

The minimum educational requirements are:

Irish Leaving Certificate Requirements:

• Five grades O6/H7 or higher in the Department of Education & Skills Leaving Certificate Examination or an approved equivalent;

The applicant must also satisfy the maths requirement as outlined below:

• H7 in Higher Mathematics, or
• O6 in Ordinary Level Mathematics.

OR

FETAC Awards and Entry Requirements:

The minimum entry requirements for graduates of FETAC to this programme is a full cognate FETAC (Level 5) award or higher, including distinction grades in at least three components. A full FETAC Level 5 major award will have a minimum credit value of 120. Component awards or achievement of less than 120 credits do not constitute a full award. Applicants will be expected to include a specific maths module within their FETAC award or to have achieved the minimum Maths requirement in their Leaving Certificate examination.

Mature applicants (defined as over 23 on January 1st of the year of entry, 2025), do not require the above minimum entry requirements and acceptance will be based on experiential learning, commitment to course objectives, and an interview.

Personality Type

This is an academically intensive programme and applicants will need to demonstrate that they can successfully deal with the competing demands of an academic programme and the workplace. The programme will require study outside office/normal working hours, and we would anticipate that for the average student that would be 10 hours per week. Applicants would need to commit to sustaining this level of workload. The apprentice should devote themselves fully to the workplace and study and not engage in other part-time work for the duration of the apprenticeship.

Citizenship Requirements

Eligible candidates must be:

1. A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA);
2. A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK);
3. A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons;
4. A non-EEA citizen who has a Stamp 41 or a Stamp 5 visa.

All non-EU/EEA citizens must hold a valid work permit prior to and for the duration of their contract. The work permit must allow you to work full time for the Office of Public Works. It is the responsibility of individual employees to ensure that they have a valid work permit. If at any stage during your contract you cease to hold a valid work permit you must immediately advise the Office of Public Works and your employment will cease with immediate effect.

To qualify, candidates must meet one of the citizenship criteria above by the closing date of this competition.

Full details on eligibility are available on the Candidate Information Booklet available on our website. Closing date for applications is 10 April 2025.