Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Feb 1999

Vol. 500 No. 4

Written Answers. - Apprenticeship Schemes.

Denis Naughten

Question:

58 Mr. Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of people in apprentice schemes at 31 January 1999; the areas these apprentices are working in; the breakdown between male and female; and the plans, if any, there are to extend apprenticeship schemes in the next two years. [4171/99]

Nora Owen

Question:

115 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of people in apprentice schemes at 31 January 1999; the areas these apprentices are working in; the breakdown between male and female; and the plans, if any, there are to extend apprenticeship schemes in the next two years. [4193/99]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 115 together.

Data on the apprenticeship system is collected by FÁS, which has operational responsibility for the system. The most comprehensive data available refers to year end 1998. As at 31 December 1998 the apprentice population, including both the new standards based apprenticeship and the outgoing time served apprenticeship was 16,923. Of these, 16,811 were male and 112 were female.

At present there are 25 designated trades in the new standards based apprenticeship system and 27 designated trades in the old time served system. I am supplying the Deputy with a detailed list of the numbers in each trade, broken down by gender, as at 31 December 1998.

As part of the development of the standards based apprenticeship system, structures have been put in place to allow for the designation of new trades. Decisions on individual trades are taken by FÁS, on the advice of the National Apprenticeship Advisory Committee, which comprises representatives of my Department, the Department of Education and Science, FÁS and the social partners.

Apprentice Population

Standards Based Apprenticeship

31st December, 1998

	Male	Female	Total
Cabinet Maker	543	11	554
Wood Machinist	112	1	113
Originator	42	12	54
Printer	154	0	154
Carton Maker	25	0	25
Bookbinder	49	1	50
Electrician	4,146	32	4,178
Instrumentation	78	1	79
Motor Mechanic	1,068	6	1,074
Agricultural Mechanic	212	0	212
Heavy Vehicle Mechanic	400	0	400
Vehicle Body Repairer	295	0	295
Fitter	982	5	987
Toolmaker	454	7	461
Aircraft Mechanic	149	2	151
Refrigeration Craft	256	0	256
Sheet Metal Worker	270	1	271
Metal Fabricator	808	0	808
Floor-Wall Tiler	34	1	35
Carpenter/Joiner	2,728	2	2,730
Painter and Decorator	312	16	328
Plumber	1,540	2	1,542
Bricklayer	823	0	823
Plasterer	402	1	403
Construction Plant	264	0	264
	16,146	101	16,247

Apprentice Population

Time Served Apprenticeship

31st December, 1998

	Male	Female	Total
Cabinet Maker	2	1	3
Wood Machinist	2	0	2
Electrician	193	4	197
Motor Mechanic	122	0	122
Agricultural Mechanic	1	0	1
Heavy Vehicle Mechanic	9	0	9
Vehicle Body Repairer	2	0	2
Fitter	30	0	30
Toolmaker	4	0	4
Refrigeration	1	0	1
Sheet Metal Worker	1	0	1
Metal Fabricator	11	0	11
Carpenter-Joiner	144	1	145
Painter and Decorator	6	2	8
Plumber	15	0	15
Bricklayer	8	0	8
Plasterer	3	1	4
Construction Plant	3	0	3
Upholsterer	28	0	28
Wood finisher	27	0	27
Slate-Rooftiler	7	0	7
Glazier	7	0	7
Stonecutter	20	0	20
Turner	1	0	1
Shipbuilder	8	0	8
Welder	1	0	1
Dental	9	2	11
	665	11	676