A social media post planted the idea of an accounting technician’s apprenticeship in Lauren Hickey’s headLauren Hickey: Finding an apprenticeship was not difficult, and in her case a Facebook post planted the idea in her head. Wed Aug 26 2026 - 05:01 • 3 MIN READIt was the appeal of being able to earn and study at the same time that encouraged Lauren Hickey to undertake an apprenticeship.The 23-year-old had initially decided to pursue a science degree following her Leaving Cert, but she realised it wasn’t the right choice for her during Christmas in second year.“It was so hard because my parents, everyone, were disappointed. I was letting everyone down, I felt.”After leaving college, Hickey applied for a job working in reception at Western Motors in Galway, where she worked for six months, before a position came up in their accounts department.“I’ve always liked the methodical thing of balancing things up. And the maths. I’ve always liked mathematical things.”[ The exponential growth of apprenticeships in IrelandOpens in new window ]She knew she wanted to return to study.“We weren’t really told about them [apprenticeships] at school,” she says. “I always associated them with a trade.”Finding an apprenticeship was not difficult, and in Hickey’s case a social media post planted the idea in her head. “I saw on Facebook that there was an advertisement for an accounting technician’s apprenticeship with Accounting Technicians Ireland (ati). I hadn’t seen anything about an accountant apprenticeship before, so I showed it to my employer and we looked into it. We were able to see that I could work and study at the same time; I was earning a salary, and that my tuition then was also fully funded.”Hickey says she loves learning and really enjoys the combination of work and education. “I was able to learn and then bring it into work and do different projects with what I was learning.”At Galway Technical Institute (GTI), there were around a half-dozen candidates taking the apprenticeship at the same time. “We’d be all together on a Monday. We’d have classes from nine until six. We had three teachers and they’d also be our mentors.‘It’s hard, working and studying at the same time. You’ve a lot of pressure on you, and time management - you’ve to be really good at that’“You’d go back to work on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. You’d be by yourself, but you have a workplace mentor, so he’d be guiding me all the time, showing me how to do things. And checking what I’m at in college, to see if that’s all correct.[ ‘I think my daughter would be suited to a job with a strong hands-on element or apprenticeship’Opens in new window ]“We also have a college mentor. And she comes out and she visits you in work every semester.”Earning while attending college is “brilliant”, Hickey says. There are “no fees. So you don’t have that financial strain.” Having the classroom-based learning aspect helps the process to feel more like a college experience. “You’ve got all the girls with you,” she explains. The camaraderie of this also makes her feel less alone in the task. “You can have your chats and everything. You can bounce ideas back and forth, and then if you’re stuck during the week, just send them a text – they’ll help you out. Or if you’re coming up to the exams, you have your group chat, and everyone’s just there, and everyone’s pushing each other.”Hickey really enjoys her work and wants to progress within her role. “I actually went on and I started doing the accounting technologist apprenticeship… It started last September.”This apprenticeship will also take two years and Hickey will be a certified accounting technologist at the end of it. [ ‘I didn’t know anybody who had gone on to college and barely knew anybody who had a Leaving Cert'Opens in new window ]Hickey’s parents and family were delighted when she decided to do the apprenticeship. “They didn’t have to pay for college. They could see I was working hard, in a great company. And the company was pushing me. And then they started pushing me as well, to just keep going as much as I could, and get through it.“It is hard. It’s hard, working and studying at the same time. You’ve a lot of pressure on you, and time management – you’ve to be really good at that.”“They’re very, very proud,” she says of her family.Hickey says she would highly recommend that students consider apprenticeships right from the off, and certainly not see them in any way as a lesser option or direction. “I feel like you don’t have to follow the traditional college route just because that’s what everyone else is doing, and your friends are doing it. It’s a great option for some people, but it’s not the only way to get into a qualification, or even build a career.“If you’re someone who likes learning and wants to get into the workplace and earn money and gain experience, then an apprenticeship is definitely something worth considering.”IN THIS SECTION