Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2024
486. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress in organising an annual national recruitment fair to promote jobs, apprenticeships and training options for the construction sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16659/24]
View answerUnder the Housing for All Implementation Fund, a dedicated team staffed from the Department of Social Protection (DSP), SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards (ETBI) is supporting recruitment and training for the construction industry as part of the Future Building Initiative. In delivering on the Housing for All Action Plan, this Department committed to hold an annual national recruitment fair to promote jobs, apprenticeships. This event is being delivered on Thursday, 18th of April with the large National Construction Recruitment & Training Fair taking place in City Hall, Cork. Some 40 exhibitors will be at the Fair, as well as representatives from the National Apprenticeship Office. Employers are seeking to fill vacancies for a variety of roles in construction and there will also be a range of training and education offerings for those looking to train or upskill for these roles.
This flagship event is part of a broader Intreo Work and Skills campaign, to include over 30 events taking place across the country to provide jobseekers with an opportunity to connect with employers who are actively recruiting for jobs in a range of sectors including hospitality, healthcare, logistics and retail roles and also to learn about the training options to help them take the next step in their career.
The national construction recruitment and training fair follows on from a recent Construction Apprenticeship Careers Fair in Tallaght, Dublin 24 in February this year, where almost 1,000 students and jobseekers met with over 40 exhibitors and employers regarding apprenticeship opportunities as part of the promoting Careers in Construction action plan and builds on the National Construction Careers Fairs held in May 2023 and May 2022 in Dublin.
This work of the Future Building Initiative feeds in to delivering the commitments set out in the Housing for All Strategy.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
