I thank Deputy Leddin for his question. The Climate Action Plan 2021 is a detailed plan for taking decisive action to set us on a path to reach net zero emissions by no later than 2050. The plan contains key measures driving the creation of the new green jobs with new skills required to achieve climate action goals, including for renewable energy generation.
The November 2021 Expert Group on Future Skills Needs report, Skills for Zero Carbon, identified the main occupational roles essential to meet Ireland’s renewable energy targets, including construction and installation occupations, maintenance technicians and engineering professionals. The April 2021 Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 details the actions and ambitious targets that will ensure the national apprenticeship system plays a key role in meeting skill needs for renewable energy. In that context, alongside the established craft apprenticeships, there is now a wind turbine maintenance technician apprenticeship in place.
A key deliverable in the action plan is driving employer participation in apprenticeship provision through both financial and non-financial measures. A new employer grant of €2,000 per apprentice per annum has already been available from January 2022. Its introduction has meant that, for the first time, employers of all apprentices have access to financial support, either through direct payment of allowances to apprentices or through the employer grant.
A central role of the National Apprenticeship Office, also established under the plan, is to engage with employers and education and training providers to support the design and development of further apprenticeships to meet priority skills needs. The National Apprenticeship Office is now fully open for business and can facilitate the development of apprenticeships to underpin the accelerated growth required in Ireland's offshore wind energy sector to meet crucial and ambitious Government targets for offshore wind energy generation.
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Its work in this area and the assessment of how best to secure strong employer participation in apprenticeship in renewable energy will be strongly informed and guided by the ongoing assessment of the actions required for the accelerated development of this sector, including by the cross-departmental offshore wind development task force. Apprenticeship is one of many ways through which the skills needs of the sector are being met by the tertiary education system including by, for example, the Green Tech Skillnet and its wind turbine technician programme.