Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 February 2022
83. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason for the increase in craft apprenticeship waiting lists to access off-the-job training; the steps he is taking to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6352/22]
View answerApprenticeship registrations in 2021 were the highest they have been since 2007, with 8,607 apprentices employed on 62 programmes. 6,955 registrations were in craft apprenticeship programmes, with over 60% of these in the Electrical, Plumbing and Carpentry and Joinery crafts.
Craft apprenticeships are demand-led, with no restrictions on registrations in any single year. The current apprentice population is over 24,000, the highest it has been since 2009.
The number waiting for craft training was 8,239 at the end of November. The number waiting at the end January 2022 was 9,570, reflecting the rapid growth in registrations during 2021 and to-date in 2022.
An emergency plan to tackle the apprentice waitlists has been underway across further and higher education since August 2021 when some training facilities started to reopen. At that point 11,859 apprentices were delayed in their training.
Since then, a €20m additional capital investment has provided a large increase in workshops and equipment in every training location in the country. A further €17m was provided under Budget 2022 to further facilitate SOLAS and the HEA’s response, including a significant recruitment campaign to increase the number of trainers.
By the end of January, almost 7,000 or 60% of those on the July 2021 waitlist were back in training or had completed their phase of training and were progressing in their apprenticeship.
The continued growth in employment for craft apprentices is extremely positive and is essential to fulfil our commitments in Housing for All and on climate action. My Department, SOLAS and other apprenticeship partners are actively working on additional measures to ensure that the waitlist is removed as speedily as possible, enabling apprentices to progress through their apprenticeship without further delay.
Innovative approaches to delivering the apprenticeship curriculum are also being worked on by SOLAS and the new National Apprenticeship Office. It is essential that our further and higher education system continues to be agile and responsive to what is a hugely positive and encouraging rise in participation in apprenticeships in Ireland.
