Addressing the skills shortage head on
Securing the talent to deliver Ireland’s ambitious infrastructure programmes in this ‘decade of delivery’ offers both risk and opportunity.
Over the next 10 years, we will deliver some of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects, many at the same time in our Capital City. This ‘decade of delivery’ is not aspirational; it is funded, prioritised, and already underway. The capital envelopes are in place. The political mandate is clear. The pipeline is published.
Dublin MetroLink, the Greater Dublin Drainage Scheme, the Water Supply Project all commenced procurement for contracting teams in February 2026. Something they all have in common; a need for talented engineers, technicians, ecologists and quantity surveyors to name just a few of the skills. One question looms above all others: who will deliver it?
Ireland is already experiencing acute shortages across engineering, construction management, architecture, planning, environmental science, and specialist trades. These gaps are widening as experienced professionals retire and global competition for STEAM talent intensifies. Without decisive interventions now, our infrastructure ambitions risk becoming bottlenecked not by funding or intent, but by the availability of skilled people.
A missed opportunity hiding in plain sight
One of the most powerful tools we have, apprenticeships embedded directly within construction contracts, is also the one we risk overlooking.
Ireland has an apprenticeship system, with more than 28,400 apprentices and a target of 10,000 annual registrations. Yet uptake remains modest in the very disciplines that our infrastructure pipeline urgently needs: engineering technicians, construction supervisors, planners, ecologists, digital technicians, architectural technologists, environmental scientists.
As we move toward shovel-ready delivery on our biggest national projects, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to use government procurement, the State’s most powerful lever, to scale technical apprenticeships rapidly and sustainably. But doing so requires action now, before major contracts are signed, not once the workforce crisis is already constraining delivery. If we act decisively now, we can build a resilient skills pipeline through integrated training that strengthens Ireland for decades.
A proven model just across the water
Ireland is not the first country to face this challenge. The UK confronted a similar crossroads during its own major programme era, and the results are telling. With an ambition for 590 apprentices, the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) programme created the TRU Apprenticeship Academy, providing rotational learning across engineering, ecology, surveying and project management. This helped build capability along the entire route, not just on isolated sites. It is a blueprint ready-made for Ireland’s regional spread of water, rail, and energy projects.
London’s Thames Tideway Tunnel faced a distinct challenge: a shortage of tunnelling operatives. Instead of competing for scarce labour, Tideway created the UK’s first Tunnelling Operative Apprenticeship, achieving between 82 per cent and 84 per cent retention and leaving a lasting capability legacy now used on other megaprojects. This shows how apprenticeships can be strategically deployed to solve deeply niche shortages.
Perhaps the most replicable model for Ireland is Crossrail’s use of contractual levers. The project required one apprentice for every £3-5 million of contract value, ensuring consistent delivery across all tiers of contractors and suppliers. This simple requirement generated thousands of skilled workers and created a workforce that has since powered other major UK projects.
The UK evidence is unambiguous: apprenticeships work when they are explicitly required, sufficiently supported, and integrated into procurement. They reduce shortages, stabilise delivery, lower costs, widen access, and create long-term regional capability.
Ireland can and must do the same.
Why Ireland’s moment is now
Ireland’s major programmes are approaching the point of no return: contracts for enabling works, civils, systems integration, and programme delivery will be signed within the next 24 months. Once that happens, the window to embed meaningful apprenticeship expectations narrows dramatically.
If apprenticeship requirements are not included in early works contracts, and especially in main works procurement, we will lose the chance to scale technical training quickly; the ability to build local capability instead of importing it; the opportunity to support social value and regional employment and the foundation for long-term sector resilience.
We cannot train apprentices retroactively. We must plan for them at the very start. We can make a number of actions without the need for any legislative changes. It is more about a mindset shift.
We could embed apprenticeship requirements into all major infrastructure contracts, mirroring Crossrail. Using the pipeline of programmes to be delivered, there could be increased alignment with the National Apprenticeship Office and SOLAS to expand Level 6-10 programmes in engineering, planning, environmental science, and architecture.
There is the opportunity to establish project-linked apprenticeship academies, following the TRU model, to ensure consistent standards across the supply chain. Consideration on how additional support can be given to contractors with funding, mentoring frameworks, and regional training partnerships, as seen on Tideway. This all requires leadership, coordination, and a willingness to apply procurement levers already available to public sector clients.
A positive path forward
Ireland is already moving in the right direction. The forthcoming Action Plan for Apprenticeships 2026-2030 offers a strong foundation and a clear national commitment to modernising and expanding pathways into technical professions.
Public sector clients can now translate that national ambition into practical action by embedding apprenticeship expectations into project delivery, championing technical pathways, and ensuring the next generation of engineers, planners, architects, scientists, and specialists are trained on Ireland’s most important projects.
This is not just a workforce strategy. It is a nation building opportunity.
If we embrace it, our decade of delivery can also become a decade of talent; one that leaves Ireland stronger, more capable, and better prepared for the challenges ahead.
