IOB has launched a banking apprenticeship with AIB, Bank of Ireland and PTSB, offering 75 places on its first intake. The Professional Banking Practitioner Apprenticeship lets participants earn an NFQ Level 8 degree while working in paid roles in the sector.

Apprentices study with IOB, a recognised college of UCD, and the programme is open to school leavers and people changing career, provided they are 18 on or before 31 August 2027.

Applications are open for the first intake, which begins in October 2027, with AIB offering 25 of the 75 places. The qualification is a UCD BSc in Banking and Financial Services studied part-time over three years, and AIB will pay apprentices’ IOB membership fees for the duration.

IOB, a registered charity based on Pearse Street in Dublin, offers more than 40 programmes from professional certificates to master’s degrees. It delivers its qualifications online and part-time, alongside professional designations such as Chartered Banker. Bank of Ireland reported first-half 2026 profit before tax of €960 million, AIB posted profit after tax of €939 million on total income of €2.28 billion, and PTSB recorded underlying profit before tax of €68 million on total income of €344 million.

The structural driver is the creation of an alternative route into financial services, with the banks and IOB pairing paid work with a degree so entrants can qualify while earning, with 75 places shared across the three partner banks.

Roles advertised with AIB are based in Naas, Leopardstown and AIB branches across Dublin, with mentoring and coaching from experienced colleagues. Successful applicants must become IOB members, and the three banks developed the apprenticeship with IOB as a new pathway into banking and financial services.

For the sector, the programme confirms that Irish retail banks are collaborating with a professional institute on shared degree apprenticeships to widen entry routes into banking, a model that pairs paid employment with a university-level qualification.