Rutledge has been training and placing people in Northern Ireland since 1989. Across youth training, apprenticeships and recruitment, we have supported thousands of young people from the classroom into a working career, and the routes into that work are more open than most school leavers realise.
Starting where the young person is
Not everyone leaves school with the grades, the confidence or a clear plan. The programmes are designed so that any of those starting points is workable.
- [Skills for Life & Work](/skills-for-life-and-work) is for 16 and 17 year olds who want qualifications, confidence and real work experience before committing to a trade.
- [ApprenticeshipsNI](/apprenticeships) is for those who have an employer, or want one, and prefer to earn while they learn.
- [Recruitment](/jobs) is for those ready to go straight into employment, with our branch teams matching them to local vacancies.
Work experience that is actually work
Placements are with real Northern Ireland employers, not simulated environments. That means a reference, current experience on the CV, and in many cases an offer from the placement employer at the end. A significant number of our apprentices were first placed with their employer as trainees.
Support alongside the qualification
Tutors deal with more than the framework. Practical support covers travel, literacy and numeracy, essential skills, and the paperwork that goes with financial support such as Education Maintenance Allowance. Where a learner needs additional support, it is arranged locally rather than centrally.
Delivered locally
Training runs across our Northern Ireland centres, and recruitment through 18 branches in 17 towns. For a young person without a car, in a rural area, a local centre is often the difference between finishing a programme and dropping out.
What learners tell us
Feedback from our student surveys is consistently strong, with the overwhelming majority saying they would return to Rutledge for further training. Where a programme is not working for someone, the aim is to move them to a route that does rather than to lose them.
Where to start
For young people and parents: read what Skills for Life & Work is, or compare apprenticeships against full-time study.
For employers: taking on an apprentice or a trainee is one of the most reliable ways to build a workforce locally. Talk to our training team.