The sharp decline in apprentice recruitment and significant levels of redundancies in many apprenticeship trades over the past three years has resulted in a dramatic fall off in the number of apprentices requiring education and training in the institutes of technology and colleges of further education. The requirement for Carpentry and Joinery provision has been particularly affected, having fallen from a high of 168 blocks nationally in 2008 to an expected national requirement for 17 blocks in 2012/13. In light of the collapse in demand, and in order to ensure that provision in Carpentry and Joinery remained available to apprentices in regions across the country, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has allocated provision in the trade to a reduced number of colleges on a regional cluster basis for the 2012/13 academic year. Decisions on which colleges would maintain provision were taken by the HEA following close consultations with the education providers concerned and with FÁS. In line with the commitment in the Government's Action Plan for Jobs, a review of the apprenticeship training model is being undertaken during 2012.
