Workplus, working with NIE Networks, has opened two major early talent surveys this summer — Apprentice Pulse and Employer Pulse — to strengthen the evidence base around apprenticeships, early careers and workforce development in Northern Ireland.

Findings from the research will be unveiled at the NI Chamber Future Workforce Summit in October. The surveys will gather perspectives from both apprentices and employers to pinpoint what is working well, where the system remains hard to navigate, and what support is required to help more firms invest in early talent.

The 2026 Apprentice Pulse will keep core questions on how apprentices find roles, their employer and learning provider experiences, mentoring, pay, working patterns and confidence about the future. New topics include the use of AI and technology in daily work, confidence in digital skills, exposure to sustainability and green skills, perceived training gaps, and whether apprentices feel prepared for shifts in the labour market.

The 2026 Employer Pulse will go beyond headline return-on-investment metrics to assess how apprenticeships influence productivity, business outcomes and workforce transformation.

The study will also consider the wider early talent landscape, including whether AI is prompting employers to reduce or reshape entry-level roles; whether apprenticeships are gaining prominence as graduate pathways evolve; the support needed to make early talent programmes more effective; the capabilities employers expect to matter most over the next three to five years; and whether apprenticeship frameworks are keeping pace with industry demand.

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Richard Kirk, Founder and CEO of Workplus, said "Apprenticeships and early talent programmes have a vital role to play in Northern Ireland's future workforce. The 2025 research showed clear evidence of the value apprenticeships create for both employers and apprentices, but it also highlighted areas where the system can be improved.

"Our aim for 2026 is to build on that evidence, listen carefully to employers and apprentices, and provide practical insights that can shape policy, improve employer practice and support future investment in early talent."

Julie Henderson, Senior HR Business Partner, from NIE Networks said: "Supporting the development of Northern Ireland's future workforce is hugely important to us at NIE Networks and more widely for the future of Northern Ireland. We are pleased to partner with Workplus on this research, which will help provide a clearer understanding of the value of apprenticeships and the support employers and apprentices need to succeed.

"Having significantly invested and developed our Investors in People Platinum award winning Apprentice Academy over the last 50 years, we understand the value that can be delivered through apprenticeship pipelines. We are proud to be working towards the Department for Economy's Green Skills delivery programme, with approximately 58,000 jobs in the green skills sector predicted over the next 10 years, it is imperative we understand the future workforce landscape. The outputs from the 2026 surveys will provide policymakers with a credible, employer-led and apprentice-informed evidence base.

"The findings will help identify what is working, where the system remains difficult to navigate, what support employers need to expand provision, and how early talent programmes can play a greater role in Northern Ireland's future workforce strategy."

Participants can complete the surveys at: campaigns.workplus.app/pulse-survey-2026