Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 March 2018
153. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which the number of apprentices now in apprenticeships is adequate to meet the demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14651/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraApprenticeship is a demand driven educational and training programme, which aims to develop the skills of an apprentice in order to meet the needs of industry and the labour market. Consequently, the number of apprentices being registered is determined by employers within each sector. This Government is committed to supporting the increased registration of apprentices across all sectors. New apprenticeship registrations have risen from 2,698 in 2014 to 4,843 in 2017, which represents an increase of almost 80%.
As the Deputy is aware, we are currently expanding the range of apprenticeships on offer to meet the identified skill needs of industry. Arising from our first call for apprenticeship proposals in 2015 eleven new apprenticeships have been developed in a wide range of sectors, including financial services, engineering, ICT and accounting. Further new apprenticeships are to be submitted for validation to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) shortly and, subject to successful validation, are expected to get underway in 2018.
In addition, arising from last year’s second call for proposals, we recently announced 26 new programmes for further development into national apprenticeships across a wide variety of sectors including construction, engineering, horticulture and agriculture. These new programmes, once developed, will add to and complement the range of apprenticeships currently on offer in developing the skill needs of our economy.
