Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 October 2023
156. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider in fast-tracking SOLAS apprentice applications to shorten the backlog of apprentices in college; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45804/23]
View answerAt the end of September, there were 5,194 apprentices waiting longer than the required six months at Phase 2, 99 at Phase 4, and 52 at Phase 6. These waiting times reflect the strong growth in registrations for craft apprenticeship in a demand-led system, where employers in a buoyant construction sector are continuing to recruit strongly to meet their future skill needs. Craft apprenticeship registrations for 2022 and 2021 were in total 13,254, an increase of almost 40% over the preceding two years.
The strength of the construction sector is also impacting adversely on the education and training system's ability to recruit additional instructors required to meet apprenticeship training need. A planned upcoming national recruitment campaign for instructors will be central to the delivery by ETBs of this additional capacity including through a third intake of apprentices each year.
The persistence of significant backlogs in apprenticeship training is a serious cause of concern to me. I therefore prioritised apprenticeship in the recent Estimates resulting in a €67m investment into the apprenticeship system. This will enable growth in the craft apprenticeship training system from 13,000 in 2022 to over 16,000 places in 2024 - an increase approaching 25%. SOLAS, the National Apprenticeship Office and the ETBs, together with staff representatives, are continuing to work intensively with my Department to deliver the required additional apprenticeship training capacity to secure the reductions in waiting time in particular for phase 2 training.
