Johnson & Johnson partner with the OEM Engineering Apprenticeship.
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland, based in Co Limerick are one of the latest employers to partner with the OEM Engineering Apprenticeship.
The leading manufacturer of disposable contact lenses are the first Johnson & Johnson company to employ OEM Engineering apprentices, with plans also under way to roll out the apprenticeship in their Cork partner companies DePuy Synthes and Janssen Biologics.
Liam Gardiner, Facilities Team Leader with Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland, expressed his enthusiasm with the new partnership, saying;
“The OEM apprenticeship will be another key addition to the apprenticeship programs already embedded at Johnson and Johnson Vision Care in Limerick. We have hired 2 OEM apprentices for the Facilities department here as we believe the course content was an excellent fit to develop maintenance technicians for our facilities and utilities dept. The broad knowledge base within the program will be key in allowing us to address the future talent requirements for the factory of the future where technicians need to be comfortable with many technical disciplines from mechanical to electrical to pneumatics and automation. The apprentice program also allows our existing engineers and technicians to share their knowledge and pass on their skills to future generations”
Established in 1995, Vision Care Ireland produces the Acuvue range of contact lenses, the world’s leading contact lens product. The Limerick site utilises the industry’s most advanced technology and directly employs over 900 people. They produce a diverse array of contact lenses using highly automated production processes. Key to their success has been the combination of state-of-the-art material science with technologies such as precision injection moulding, robotics, vision systems and data analytics. They manufacture over 8 million contact lenses a day, which are exported to customers worldwide.
The OEM Apprenticeship is managed by Cavan Monaghan ETB in collaboration with Limerick Clare ETB. Apprentices studying with Limerick Clare ETB attend their state-of-the-art training centre at the Raheen Campus in Limerick.
Speaking of the recent partnership, Apprenticeship Manager with Limerick Clare ETB, Kevin Bartley said,
“It is an honour to welcome Johnson & Johnson Vision Care onboard. The OEM Apprenticeship is growing from strength to strength, with a wide variety of companies from a vast array of industries realising just how beneficial this programme is to their recruitment and retention needs. We also look forward to working with the other two Johnson & Johnson companies later in the year”
The OEM Apprenticeship programme represents a new and exciting way to study Engineering, leading to excellent career prospects in an array of industries. The programme delivers skilled apprentices capable of working in a dynamic engineering environment. Graduates of the programme receive a QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate in OEM Engineering and are qualified as OEM Engineering Technicians, a widely sought-after skill set in the manufacturing, installation, servicing and commissioning sectors, both nationally and globally.
A selection of employers from around the country currently have apprentices participating on the programme, including Abbey Machinery, AMCS group, Arjo, BOC Gases, Burnside Hydracyl, Combilift, Dairymaster, Dawn Farms, Dennehy’s Garden Machinery, Dennison Trailers, Geon Engineering, Johnson & Johnson, Jungheinrich, Keenan Alltech, Leidos, LSM Engineering Ltd, Moffett Automated Storage, Silent Aire, Tanco, Trimfold and Turmec.
Click the link below for more information on the OEM Engineering Technician Apprenticeship.