Vol. 474 No. 3
54 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if he will make a statement on Ireland's manpower and training policy in view of the fact that the construction industry federation is advertising in United Kingdom magazines for workers. [2918/97]
Labour mobility is a particular characteristic of the construction industry, and it is not unusual or new for the industry to advertise for workers in the UK, just as the UK construction industry has advertised in Ireland for workers when it had peak demands for labour. The fact that the Construction Industry Federation is advertising in the UK reflects the high level of activity in the construction industry in Ireland.
In relation to manpower planning, FÁS, through the construction industry training committee, has recently developed a manpower forecasting system to assist employment and training planners and, in particular, the construction industry, to match future demands for skills. The social partners, including the construction industry itself, are represented on this committee. The system is capable of estimating demand for 25 construction occupations at a national and regional level.
There has been a significant increase in the number of apprentices being recruited in the industry with, for example, the intake for bricklaying and plastering increasing by approximately 100 per cent between 1993-94 and 1995-96. The new standards based apprenticeship training system will ensure that the skills of craftsworkers employed in the construction industry will be up to best-practice standards.
