The total number of apprentices in training for craft trades at present is 15,406. This population has been growing from a low of just under 11,000 in 1995, with the highest growth rate being in the course of the last two years.
The bulk of the growth has occurred in the construction trades which, taken together account for some 65 per cent of the current apprentice population. Employment in the construction industry generally is expected to continue to rise in the next five years by approximately 10 per cent and then to stabilise. This, together with the general buoyancy of the economy, would suggest that the apprentice numbers will continue to grow over the next five years to between 17,000 and 18,000 for all trades.