​The first apprentices to undertake the Geo Drilling Apprenticeship took their induction on 4-5 December at the Institute of Technology Carlow. 12 apprentices will be starting the programme in January of 2020.

The Geo Drilling Apprenticeship is a two year level 6 Apprenticeship, sponsored by Geoscience Ireland and will be delivered by the Institute of Technology, Carlow.

Launched on 11 November by Minister Damien English at Boliden Tara Mines, Minister English noted that geo-drilling, a highly skilled occupation, is central to the geoscience underlying infrastructure development, housing, mining, quarrying and  groundwater supplies and emphasized the government's commitment to developing more apprenticeships. The Minister had earlier been responsible for the development of the SFI funded  Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geoscience (iCRAG).

This week, Engineers Journal have published an article on the apprenticeship, highlighting the importance of the qualification to the Irish economy. See the article here.