Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 November 2014
912. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her Department's work in conjunction with SOLAS in supporting apprenticeship programmes in skilled trades and in introducing new apprenticeship programmes in this area. [41860/14]
View answerAs part of the Government's Action Plan for Jobs initiative my Department managed a comprehensive review of the Irish Apprenticeship system to determine whether the current model should be retained, adapted or replaced. The review was tasked with taking into account the needs of both learners and industry and to ensure that we have a value for money system that is cost effective and sustainable into the future. An independent Review Group undertook a substantial consultation process with all major stakeholders as well as inviting submissions from members of the public. Following its analysis of the current system and the submissions received, the report of the Independent Review Group made a number of recommendations regarding a new structure for Apprenticeship, which is envisaged as being relevant to a much wider group of enterprise sectors. Recommendations were also made in relation to current apprenticeships. Following on from the review, an Apprenticeship Implementation Plan was published on the 30th June 2014. This is available on my Departments website, www.education.ie.
Key recommendations from the Review include:
- legislative change to enable a more flexible model of delivery while
- protecting apprentices and setting out employers' obligations
- new governance arrangements including the appointment of an enterprise led
- Apprenticeship Council hosted by SOLAS with close cooperation from the Higher Education Authority
- a review of existing apprenticeship curricula as a matter of urgency with a move away from a generic placement at level 6 and to programme durations based on the time needed to achieve the learning outcomes necessary for the occupation
- the expansion of the apprenticeship model into a range of new enterprise sectors
- that recruitment to apprenticeship would continue to be the responsibility of approved employers but with greater planning and control of numbers in apprenticeship
- the development of clear occupational and academic progression routes
I will shortly be announcing the membership of the Council.. The Council will be enterprise led and will have representatives from business, trade unions, and further and higher education bodies. The first job of work of the new Apprenticeship Council will be to manage a call for proposals from industry for new apprenticeships. This call for proposals is expected to be made before the end of 2014. Alongside this work, the curricula for current apprenticeships will continue to be reviewed under existing structures. Five trades (Electrical, Plumbing, Carpentry and Joinery, Metal Fabrication and Heavy Vehicle Mechanics) are currently being reviewed by SOLAS. Significant progress has been made and the Implementation Plan envisages accelerated arrangements for reviewing the remaining trades
