I want to learn new skills or start my green skills journey
Information for individuals on Green Skills
Apprenticeships
An apprenticeship can help you gain the skills, experience and recognised qualifications you need to succeed in your chosen career — while earning as you learn.
To start an apprenticeship, you must first be employed, as the training takes place alongside your job.
Apprenticeships are available across a wide range of sectors at different levels:
- Level 2
- Level 3
- Higher Level Apprenticeships (Level 4 and above)
You can find out more about:
- What an apprentice is
- Who apprenticeships are for
- The benefits of an apprenticeship
- How much you get paid
- Contact apprenticeships
- Find a training provider
Learn New Skills / Develop your skills
You can develop your skills at any stage of your career — whether you want to progress in your current role, change direction, or improve your job prospects.
Work Experience
Work Experience Programme
If you are unemployed and aged between 16 and 65, the Work Experience Programme can help you gain practical experience and develop the skills needed to find a job.
Placements last between 2 and 8 weeks and give you the opportunity to:
- Experience a real workplace
- Try out different tasks
- Build confidence and skills
- Improve your chances of getting a job
Start Your Career: Skills & Trainee Pathways
Skills for Life and Work
Skills for Life and Work is a training programme designed for young people who have left school and want to gain skills and prepare for employment. Skills for Life and Work is for you if you are a young person who has left school but need experience of work along with qualifications at Level 1 or Entry Level.
Traineeships
Whether you are a school leaver or an adult, a traineeship gives you the opportunity to gain work experience in an area you are interested in, while improving your English and Maths and building the skills employers are looking for.
- They are delivered by the six regional Further Education colleges
- Local employers will provide support for work based learning
- They can help you progress to a full-time job, apprenticeship or further education
- A Traineeship is typically completed over 1 to 2 years (full-time)
- Available across a wide range of sectors, including those linked to green skills
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply, you must have a minimum of a Level 1 qualification, defined as:
- Four GCSEs at grades D–G (including Maths and English at grades D–F), or equivalent
Check if you might qualify for funding towards the traineeship programme
Careers Service
If you need help deciding your next step, the Careers Service can provide advice and guidance.
The Careers Service has also published Green Skills career guides, which explain:
- What green skills are
- Why they are important
- Where they are used
- Pathways into green careers in Northern Ireland
These guides are designed for both young people and adults exploring opportunities in the green economy.
- Green Skills Careers Bulletin
- The Careers Service - A Young Person’s Guide to Green Skills Careers in Northern Ireland
- The Careers Service - An Adult’s Guide to Green Skills careers in Northern Ireland
- Careers Service
Other Helpful Resources
Green Accelerator Skills Programme (GRASP)
The Green Accelerator Skills Programme (GRASP) is a cross-border initiative supported by PEACEPLUS. It focuses on developing the green skills needed in the construction industry across Northern Ireland and neighbouring counties.
Training is delivered across nine areas:
Armagh, Cavan, Derry-Londonderry, Donegal, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Leitrim, Tyrone and Sligo.
Courses are specifically designed to support the construction industry meet the growing demand for green expertise and align with Net Zero targets.
Training areas include:
- Sustainable construction practices
- Renewable energy integration
- Retrofitting and energy efficiency
- Low-carbon building materials
- Environmental management systems
Whether you're a tradesperson, site manager, or senior decisionmaker, there are opportunities available to help you gain skills, build experience and move forward in your career. Explore the programmes below to find the right path for you.
Green courses at college and university
Find a qualification that opens the door to a green career
Further Education Colleges
The colleges play an important role in helping people build skills and continue learning throughout their lives. They support local communities, help close skills gaps, and work closely with employers to understand what skills are needed. This helps them offer courses and qualifications that support jobs and economic growth.
They also help create a strong and successful economy by developing technical and professional skills, including higher-level skills, and by supporting innovation. Colleges aim to include everyone by helping people with few or no qualifications, or those facing barriers, gain the skills and confidence they need to find work and take part in the economy.
All six NI colleges offer green-related courses:
- Green related courses - Belfast Met
- All courses - NRC Northern Regional College
- Green related courses - North West Regional College
- Green related courses - SERC
- All courses - Southern Regional College
- All courses - South West College
*There might be other courses run by the colleges which are linked to Green Skills
Northern Ireland Universities
The universities offer Green-related undergraduate and postgraduate courses across engineering, law, science and more.
Higher Education is delivered by the three universities and two university colleges. They deliver a range of courses that fit well with the green sector, but there is scope to expand and improve these courses, so they keep up with new technology and the changing expectations placed on graduates.
- Green related courses - The Open University
- Green related courses - Queen's University Belfast
- Green related courses - Ulster University
*There might be other courses available which are linked to Green Skills
College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE)
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) offers a range of Further and Higher Education courses through CAFRE. These courses help you start a career in areas like farming, food production, and rural businesses. If you already work in the industry, CAFRE can help you build your skills, develop your career, and stay up to date with new ideas and ways of working.
CAFRE has excellent practical facilities where you can learn by practicing and testing out new technologies and systems. Training takes place across three campuses in Antrim (Greenmount), Cookstown (Loughry), and Enniskillen. These locations support a wide range of subjects, including agriculture, food, equine, and horticulture.
There are many factors affecting this industry which are influenced by decisions made elsewhere in the world. CAFRE offer students travel opportunities through their international programme, allowing students to share information globally, and bring new systems and technologies back to support local industry.