I am grateful for the briefing we received but the scope of the Bill should be much wider because while it is right to say that the arrangements for apprentices have been changed only some trades have been designated under the new apprenticeship system, including the trade I am most familiar with, the brick and stonemason trade. However the changes have not worked in the way envisaged. For example, this year in Limerick, for the first time in more than two decades, there is no apprenticeship course in brick and stone laying.
There is a number of reasons for this; the main one being that the course under the new apprenticeship system comprises six modules the first of which is of ten weeks duration during which the apprentice engages in on-the-job training; on a building site in the case of building workers. The second module is of 22 weeks duration and is provided in a FÁS training centre. During the third module the apprentice works for an employer and during the fourth takes part in a vocational education committee block release course. He returns for the fifth module to the building site and completes the course, the sixth module, by taking part in another block release course in a vocational education committee centre. That appears fine on paper but it has not worked out that way. In Dublin the second module of 22 weeks is not being done in a FÁS training centre but by the Dublin vocational education committee as heretofore. The second module to which I referred is listed as being carried out by the FÁS training centre and the other two modules are being carried out by the vocational education committee. These modules seem to be higgledy-piggledy, and not in accordance with the new regulations.
There are no facilities available in the Limerick FÁS training centre to carry out the second module of apprenticeship training. Therefore, the class has not commenced because the vocational education committee claim it has discontinued the training of apprentices in so far as it is now the responsibility of FÁS. This has meant there has been no block laying class in Limerick for the first time in 20 years, despite the fact that the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Deputy Quinn, is sympathetic to the problem. There is a large amount of money available in FÁS for the training of unemployed apprentices which is acknowledged by the senior member of FÁS. It is far greater than collected in the levy scheme we are discussing here. It makes no sense to have a very small number of apprentices being trained in all industries; it is the lowest number that has been trained in the past 20 years. In that regard these regulations must be flexible and seen to serve the industries, not the other way around. There is no point in laying down the other five regulations unless they can be used in a practical way to ensure the supply of apprentices to the building industry.
For the first time in 20 years in Limerick there is no apprenticeship classes even though there is a willingness by Limerick City Trust to take on six apprentices and employers, through the CIF, have raised £6,000 for the first module of ten weeks to ensure 12 apprentices would be taken on. In practice 12 apprentices are being denied work opportunities because of the way this legislation is framed.
I will be talking about this issue at a meeting in Limerick on Friday. It is nonsensical that red tape should frustrate the deveelopment of this scheme. FÁS was originally known as An Ceard Comhairle, then became AnCO and is now called FÁS. Unfortunately, the apprenticeship scheme has become marginalised in the work of FÁS. It was originally set up to serve the industry with training but it is now more concerned with retraining adults, sometimes for jobs that are not there. It is important that apprentices are put back in the mainstream of training because, without properly trained people, the future of the industry is uncertain. There must be quality — rather than quantity — of training.
This scheme may look all right on paper but it is being done piecemeal. Certain trades have been designated to see how the new scheme will work out. I would prefer if it were done in a more uniform way in replacing all trades. Unless apprentices are available talking about apprenticeship levies serves no purpose because apprentices are the mainstream of any industry. The future of the industry will depend on people being trained now. For the first time the smallest number of apprentices are being trained here. I hope the Minister will investigate the problems in this area, otherwise our discussion will become irrelevant and artificial because unless we have apprentices, there is no point in talking about levies and grants.
It does not make sense that the second module of the apprenticeship scheme will be carried out in a FÁS training centre while the other two modules, which involve education, are carried out by the vocational education committee. A number of centres have been carrying out apprenticeship courses for the vocational education committee and they are now being marginalised. If there are facilities in the vocational education committee or a FÁS training centre, they should be used in a practical and flexible way rather than hiding behind bureaucracy. I hope we can recommence the apprenticeship classes that had been operating in Limerick and other areas before the end of this year.