AN ENNIS MOTHER is on a quest to become a forensic accountant by the age of thirty.
Twenty four year old, Rebecca Ryan is in the second year of an Accounting Technicians Ireland (ATI) apprenticeship with Clare County Council.
She studies through Limerick College of Further Education and through the apprenticeship she is among the cohort of students enabled to work, earn and learn. The apprenticeship, which will create 140 jobs nationally this year, is a funded, two-year work-based learning programme in which apprentices earn at least €21,060 a year while attending lectures one day a week with a local college.
Rebecca became a mum at 20 whilst studying a degree course in English and New Media, which she was not enjoying. After the birth of her daughter Sadie, she took a year out to be a stay-at-home parent but returned to education with the support of her parents and the family of her partner, Andrew McMahon.
She said, “As a young mother, earning while studying is a huge bonus for me. When I started the apprenticeship, I felt I didn’t have to sacrifice or give up anything. I just had to become good at time management. But it is not just for young parents, it is for a wide range of people, Leaving Certificate students who are unsure of what to do, employees in the sector who wish to further their careers or career changers who cannot afford to give up their jobs for full-time education. Many Leaving Certificate students only apply for full-time third-level courses because they do not know what else to do”.
According to Rebecca, “the apprenticeship has opened so many doors for me. I am hoping to gain a trainee contract with a firm of chartered accountants and become a qualified forensic accountant by the age of 30. I would certainly recommend the Accounting Technicians Ireland Apprenticeship to anyone who feels the conventional route of university or college is not for them. I love my work and the programme has given me a lot of confidence. It is simply amazing. You get two years’ work experience, which is a positive when applying for jobs, and you earn while you learn. Also, the Apprenticeship gives you multiple exemptions if you wish to study to become a fully qualified accountant”.
School leavers, Leaving Certificate students, career changers and mature learners can all apply through Accounting Technicians Ireland. Applications are now open for the apprenticeship, which can be undertaken through colleges in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Monaghan, Waterford and Wicklow.
Large firms and smaller practices, as well as industry and the public sector, have all embraced the programme.
Rebecca, the first apprentice at Clare County Council, hopes to gain a trainee contract with a firm of chartered accountants and be on her way to becoming a qualified forensic accountant by the time she is 30.
