Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2020
83. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of plans to overhaul existing apprenticeships, traineeships and education programmes as promised in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35066/20]
View answerApprenticeship in Ireland has undergone significant reform and expansion over the past 5 years. The introduction of consortia-led apprenticeship development has resulted in the delivery of 34 new programmes across all sectors of the economy, with a further 19 in development. Programmes now range in duration from two to four years and lead to qualifications at QQI levels 5-10 on the National Framework of Qualifications. Consortia, consisting of employers, education and training bodies and other stakeholders are now able to submit proposals for new apprenticeships on an ongoing basis. All apprenticeship programmes are also subject to periodic review to ensure that their curricula are up to date and fit for purpose.
Looking forward, the Government has set a target of 10,000 new apprentice registrations per annum by 2025. This compares against 6,177 registrations in 2019 and achieving this target will require significant focus in the Covid and post-Covid environment. The Government introduced the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme to support employers who continue to recruit apprentices during the main COVID-19 crises period and during the first half of 2021.
In bringing forward the Action Plan on Apprenticeship to cover the period 2021-25, I will be advancing the development of an apprenticeship system which provides enhanced visibility and coherence for all involved – employers, apprentices, education and training institutions and the general public.
In delivering this, all aspects of the current system are being considered together with relevant international research to ensure that apprenticeship is best placed to respond to longer term economic needs while being flexible enough to respond to shorter term challenges. An extensive consultation process has been undertaken with over sixty submissions received from stakeholders and supplemented with feedback from SME employers through the Regional Skills Fora and through feedback from the 3,750 apprentices who answered a survey on their experience of the system. An information session was held on 23rd November to update those who made submissions and other stakeholders of the breadth of feedback and the main observations to date. It is intended that the new Plan will be finalised in the coming weeks.
In addition to the innovative work being done on apprenticeship, curricula for traineeships and further education programmes are revised on an ongoing basis to keep pace with new methods and technologies in the workplace, to ensure learners have a broader range of literacy, numeracy, ICT and teamworking skills, and in response to local skills needs.
