Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 February 2024
649. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which he expects the number of training/apprenticeship places to be sufficient to meet the demand in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9355/24]
View answerIt is my Department’s priority to ensure the apprenticeship system is right-sized to deliver future demand for skilled tradespeople.
Successful delivery of priority Government strategies such as the National Development Plan, Housing for All and the Climate Action Plan will require significant growth in our apprenticeship training capacity.
Being demand-led in nature, there are no restrictions on the number of apprentices that can be registered.
There is now also a strong and growing recognition of apprenticeship as a valuable employment and skills opportunity reflected in a 25% increase in craft apprenticeship registrations from 5,271 in 2019 to 6,588 in 2023.
Registrations remain strong in 2024 with 733 registrations to the end of January. This compares to 694 for the same time last year, an increase of 6%.
Increased funding of €67 million allocated to apprenticeship secured through the Estimates this year brings total investment to €300 million in 2024, and is a vital step in building the capacity required to meet future training requirements.
Education and Training Boards have been mandated to deliver 3 intakes of apprentices a year increasing training capacity from over 5,500 places in 2023 to over 8,900 in 2024, a 60% increase.
A targeted national recruitment campaign for over 100 craft apprenticeship instructors is underway.
The National Apprenticeship Office is consulting stakeholders on the development of an integrated system for apprenticeship which will enable continued growth and expansion of this important work-based learning route, a key priority under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025.
