Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 July 2021
64. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps he has taken to provide extra places on apprenticeship schemes for the building trade; the steps he has taken to attract more persons to apply for apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35627/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 was launched on 19th April and sets out a five year plan which sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship accessible to employers and learners. The actions set out in the plan seek to deliver on a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum by 2025 across all sectors of the economy including construction. Measures to support employer engagement in apprenticeship, particularly within the SME sector, will be integral to the delivery of that target.
As a demand driven programme, the number of apprentice placements is determined by employers within the construction sector. In recent years, annual intake in construction related apprenticeships has steadily been increasing, from a low of 650 in 2010 to 3,499 in 2019. The impact of Covid-19 and the closure of the construction sector in March 2020 impacted heavily on apprentice registrations in the first half of 2020. Registrations recovered in the second half of the year with the support of the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme, which provides an employer grant of €3,000 payable over two years to support employers who take on and retain apprentices, reaching a total of 3,104 registrations on construction related apprenticeships by year end. This trend in continuing into 2021 and there were 1,346 registrations on construction related apprenticeships to end of May 2021 compared to 953 in 2020 and 1,491 in 2019. The Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme has been extended and the scheme will now include all apprentices registered to the end of this year. The intention of the scheme is to ensure that apprenticeship will play a key part in supporting economic recovery at the reopening of the economy following COVID-19.
Under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025, a new National Apprenticeship Office (NAO) will drive central branding and promotional activities targeted to heighten public awareness of the range of apprenticeship offerings in all sectors including construction. Visibility of programmes will be supported through the national Generation Apprenticeship campaign and continued engagement with regional vocational skills showcases.
Prospective apprentices will be able to find out information about apprenticeship opportunities and will receive more support and clearer communication throughout their entire learning journey, including exploring the opportunity for craft apprentices to express preferences on the location of their off-the-job training, where practicable.
They will be encouraged to provide their views on the functioning and development of the apprenticeship system, by appropriate representation within stakeholder advisory bodies and by means of an annual survey of apprentices to be carried out by a new National Apprenticeship Office (NAO) as part of the data collection and evaluation framework. An apprentice bursary scheme will be established to fund up to 100 apprentices per year who are experiencing severe socioeconomic disadvantage.
Education and training relevant to skills needs in the construction sector is delivered through ongoing apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship further and higher education and training as well as through specific activation programmes such as Springboard, the Human Capital Initiative and Skillnet Ireland.
Among the 61 apprenticeships currently available at levels 5-10 on the National Framework of qualifications, the 25 traditional craft apprenticeships at level 6 of the National Framework of Qualifications have been supplemented by new apprenticeships in geo-drilling (Level 6), with programmes in scaffolding (level 5), roofing and cladding (level 5) and advanced quantity surveying (Level 9) due to launch in 2021.
By 2025 apprenticeship will be a clear choice for people looking for a new career, qualification or return to work option across all sectors of the economy including construction and employers will see the value and benefit of apprenticeship in meeting the skills requirements of their workforce.
