Factors influencing built environment apprenticeship completion rates: a systematic literature review

There has been a surge in public interest in apprenticeships in Ireland, because of increased awareness, political support, increased state funding and a new 2021 Apprenticeship Action Plan. In Ireland, there are 62 apprenticeships available, involving over 8,000 employers and 24,000 apprentices. However, non-completion can be costly for both employers and program administrators, as well as proving difficult for the apprentice. The aim of this research is to undertake a systematic literature review to identify 1) Where is apprenticeship completion research taking place? and 2) What factors influence the completion of apprenticeship programmes? The research method investigates findings from twenty-four articles published between January 2000 and December 2021. The investigation concludes that the reasons for completion fall into three main categories: apprentice related issues, curriculum and programme quality and employer issues. Overall, the findings will help to contextualise why apprentices do not complete their apprenticeship and determine if this might be applicable to Ireland. While only two papers were found during the systematic literature review pertaining to Ireland, the key contribution of this research is to apply the international findings with the intention of increasing built environment apprenticeship completion in this country.