Learnovate Centre invites Irish employers to join AI graduate placement programme amid digital skills shortage

The Learnovate Centre at Trinity College Dublin has opened applications for Irish organisations to participate in its Work Ready Graduate Programme, a 12-month placement initiative designed to help businesses accelerate AI adoption and address deepening digital skills shortages. The programme is directly relevant to HR and talent professionals tasked with building in-house digital capability in an increasingly competitive skills market.

Business Plus reported that the programme, co-funded by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, allows host companies to bring in graduates with specialist skills in AI and data analytics to work on structured digital transformation projects within their organisations.

According to Learnovate's 2025 Learning Signals Survey, 66% of Irish organisations now identify AI and digital fluency as their most urgent skills gap, while more than half report being at an early stage in developing a strategy to address it. Up to 12 organisations are expected to participate in the next intake, with host companies required to be registered with Enterprise Ireland.

Participating graduates can earn up to €38,000 during the placement, while host organisations benefit from ongoing mentoring from Learnovate's research team alongside structured reviews, workshops, and professional development in areas including project management. Funding covering up to 70% of the programme's value is also available to participating organisations.

Nessa McEniff, managing director of the Learnovate Centre, said: "The Work Ready Graduate Programme provides a practical pathway to do that. Companies gain access to best-in-class graduates who can provide transformative impact on priority projects, while those graduates are supported through structured mentoring and exposure to leading-edge research and practice."

Previous host organisations include Adaptemy, SkillsVista, Akari, and Hibernia College, which reported measurable impact on AI adoption and data-driven decision-making following participation.

Roles are available nationwide across in-office, hybrid, and remote formats.

Find out more about the programme and how to apply.