Vol. 514 No. 3
82 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 122 of 1 February 2000, the proposals being considered by the national apprenticeship advisory committed to address capacity problems in particular in relation to the education sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4094/00]
The unprecedented increase in apprenticeship numbers in recent years has created capacity problems in off-the-job training phases, two, four and six, resulting in delays in scheduling training provision for apprentices. FÁS and the education sector have been significantly expanding their capacities to address this issue and there are proposals in train to reduce the current bottlenecks.
The National Apprenticeship Advisory Committee which includes representatives of my Department, the Department of Education and Science, FÁS and the social partners has already considered the issue at a number of meetings at which a range of possible options was put forward aimed at increasing capacity in the short-term in the critical trades. These possible options were considered in the context of the principal belief that the quality of training and the achievement of the agreed standards should not be diluted in any way.
As regards the specific focus on the education sector, I refer to the recent reply by my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science to a question on this subject. In that reply, it was indicated that efforts are being made to expand capacity as a matter of urgency in a number of centres, particularly in the Dublin region. In addition the Department of Education and Science is liaising with the institutes of technology and the Teachers Union of Ireland with a view to putting in place the necessary arrangements to run courses for apprentices during the coming summer months.
