Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2023
744. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if any work has been done to analyse whether young people are opting to forgo apprenticeships to go straight to labour work, given current available wages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29712/23]
View answerWe have seen significant investment in apprenticeships. 2022 saw 8,286 new apprenticeship registrations, an increase of 34% on the pre-Covid figure in 2019. At the end of 2022 there were over 26,000 people at various stages of their apprenticeship.
Apprentices are employees and all of the 67 apprenticeship programmes are undertaken under a contract of employment. For the majority of apprenticeships, the rate of pay is agreed between the apprentice and the employer, with the employer paying the apprentice during both on-the-job and off-the-job training elements. For the 25 craft apprenticeship programmes, the minimum rates of pay applying under the employment contract are either agreed within the relevant sector, or are set out in legally binding Sectoral Employment Orders recommended by the Labour Court.
Whilst on that basis any review of rates is a matter for the appropriate industrial relations structures, the Department recognises that there is increasing pressure on workers as a result of inflation and other cost of living factors. Consequently, I signalled to Cabinet on 13th June that I may visit the matter of apprentice pay through the Construction Safety Licensing Bill, which is proceeding through the Dáil currently. Officials in the Department are working with colleagues in DETE on the matter and will be commissioning independent research to assess the landscape of apprentice pay overall and possible impacts of including apprentices in minimum wage legislation.
