‘I knew accountancy as a profession was somewhere I wanted to end up’

Paul Hurley was at a crossroads in his career when he dropped out of his degree in Economics and French. The degree didn’t suit him, and it suddenly created this feeling of uncertainty about what he wanted to do with his life.

“I had done my Leaving Cert in 2013 and I went to college but it didn’t work out. I had dropped out of UCC after a year. I was after doing a few small jobs,” the now 28-year-old says.

“I was trying to figure things out for a couple of years and I ended up getting an offer as a very low-level trainee accountant in a practice in west Cork in 2019.”

Training programme

Hurley says the firm in which he was working, ODM Accountants in Bandon, was looking into introducing the apprenticeship. One of the partners thought it would be a good fit for him. It was also beneficial for the firm, as it meant they didn’t lose Hurley like they would if he had returned to full-time education.

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“I knew accountancy as a profession was somewhere I wanted to end up but it was just a matter of getting there. It focused my mind because suddenly it was attainable in two years, and then after the two years I would have this qualification and then I could build it from there,” Hurley adds.

The Accounting Technician Apprenticeship is a funded, two-year, work-based learning education and training programme in which apprentices work, learn and earn at least €22,035 a year while attending lectures one day a week at a local college.

It provides an alternative for school leavers who prefer practical training to a full-time college programme — or those who started a college course and found it did not suit them.

It is also an option for existing employees and mature learners who want to pursue accounting and provides exam exemptions for those wishing to go on to study to become a fully qualified accountant.

A total of 650 jobs have been created since the programme’s foundation in 2018, with ATI continuing to work with more than 350 apprenticeship employers, who have hired accounting technician apprentices across 22 sectors.

Life experience

Hurley attended the Cork College of Commerce one day a week on a Monday and then attended work from Tuesday to Friday. Of the about 15 people in his college class, Hurley says there was “such a mix” of life experience and backgrounds.

“The majority of people were people who were doing it to further themselves while continuing to work. There were a few that were basically straight from leaving cert, but people who were working in hotels or whatever, were being asked to further their education,” he adds.

The apprenticeship, Hurley says, has changed his life. He is now working at a new accounting firm, Coughlan Carroll and Company, in Kilkenny, where he is continuing his learning path and working towards becoming a professional accountant.

“It gave me a good grounding because I knew where I was hoping to end up, but there were just so many options. It was a good fit for me because I was able to use my experience in the workplace. It’s a very respected qualification to have and to be able to do it over two years meaning it was very worthwhile for me,” Hurley says.

“So it’s a great option for people to keep working and still get that qualification at the same time. My life has changed considerably, but I thoroughly enjoy it. Professionally, I am much happier and better equipped than I would have been had I not become an ATI apprentice.”

— Shauna Bowers