Though he was the eldest of three sons, John Kelly took a backseat early on when it came to taking over the family farm.

He is now the manager of the National Construction Training Centre in Mount Lucas, Co. Offaly.

Kelly explained: "The business side of family farming didn't always appeal to me.

"I am thankful to still reside on the land at Loughteague.

"I am extremely lucky to be settled in my local community, surrounded by family and the neighbours on the road that I grew up with," he said.

Kelly explained that his brother William who works alongside his father, John, has transitioned the farm from a tillage/suckler farm to a dairy farm "in line with the Kelly family tradition".

The family farm in Bloomfield, Portlaoise, once supplied milk to Portlaoise, which was formerly known as Maryborough.

Stone picking, stacking straw bales, machinery operations, and herding cattle are among the jobs Kelly did on the farm.

He recalled: "I loved growing up on the farm and I always enjoyed practical subjects. I was fascinated by how things were built.

Kelly has been manager of the National Construction Training Centre for over 10 years, having previously worked as a landscaper specialising in sports turf management.

In his new role, he oversees the development and delivery of construction training programmes.

"I work closely with industry partners, apprentices, learners, and instructors to ensure we are providing the skills the sector needs both today and into the future.

"Construction is a dynamic industry that continues to evolve, and I am fortunate to work in an environment that helps people build rewarding careers while supporting the growth of the wider economy," said Kelly, who is part of Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB), working alongside 25 colleagues.

Construction training

The campus at Mount Lucas is home to Ireland’s first demonstration park for modern methods of construction, such as multiple construction typologies, the national scaffolding apprenticeship, and the overhead lines apprenticeship.

It also hosts the national utilities traineeship along with being a centre of excellence for nearly zero energy buildings and retrofitting.

Courses and apprenticeships are designed through industry collaboration and support from the relevant stakeholders.

This includes: Uisce Éireann; ESB Networks; the Construction Industry Federation (CIF); Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI); and the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).

People are surprised at how realistic the Mount Lucas site is and how advanced the training on offer is, Kelly contended.

"The fact that courses are fully funded is a huge factor for companies engaging with our services.

"We have a full fleet of plant machinery including Ireland’s only tower crane with a jumbo training cab for the instructor and two trainees," he said.

Kelly added that they have "embraced" digital technology, with a specialist machinery simulator demonstration area on site.

He continued: "I am passionate about training and have been very lucky to have been part of a consortium steering group that developed Ireland’s first national scaffolding apprenticeship."

Kelly was part of the steering group that included membership of the CIF, National Association of Scaffolding and Access Contractors (NASAC), SIPTU, the HSA and subject matter experts.

"The apprenticeship was launched a few years ago, and already has seen over 100 apprentices qualify and raise the standards out on sites," he explained.

Team Ireland also competes annually at the Layher scaffolding championships in Lithuania, coming second in 2024.

"We are currently working with the World Skills to bring the apprenticeship competition globally for Irish apprentices to compete on the world stage.

"Construction is a highly diverse industry with careers spanning technology, sustainability, project management, digital construction, training, leadership, and innovation," he said.

Industry careers

Some parents are reluctant for their son or daughter to enter a career in construction or to embark on an apprenticeship for fear that they will fall victim to the next recession, according to Kelly.

His response is that that the country is about to embark on two of the largest infrastructure projects since the foundation of the State, the Metrolink and the Uisce Éireann project to bring water from the Shannon to Dublin.

He said: "Both projects combined will see an investment of over €30 billion.

"The cyclical nature of the construction sector from boom to bust is no longer the case and there are enough essential infrastructure projects along with a housing crisis that will ensure surety of work in the decades to come."

The industry puts growing emphasis on sustainability, modern methods of construction, technology and innovation, according to Kelly.

He added: "I am excited about helping prepare the next generation of construction professionals for those opportunities."