Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 October 2021
23. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the plans in place to promote the take-up of new apprenticeships by more women, migrants, persons with disabilities and mature applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49811/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 promotes general access, diversity and inclusion in apprenticeship by offering targeted supports to encourage participation from under-represented groups such as women, those with disabilities and those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Targets and interventions for specific groups will be detailed through an Equity of Access subcommittee of the National Apprenticeship Alliance to ensure that the voice of under-represented groups is integral to the development of the apprenticeship system. The actions set out in the Plan build on the outcomes of the 2018 Review of Pathways to Participation in Apprenticeship which has already resulted in a significant widening of measures to support increased visibility of apprenticeships.
Specific immediate actions in the Action Plan include:
- Extending the bursary of €2,666 which is paid by SOLAS to employers of female apprentices in the 25 craft apprenticeships to encourage them to employ female apprentices to all apprenticeship programmes with greater than 80% representation of a single gender.
- An apprentice bursary/support scheme will be established to fund up to 100 apprentices per year who are experiencing severe socioeconomic disadvantage and who are from target groups, including lone parents, people with disabilities, Travellers and Roma.
- Access to apprenticeship programmes and pre-apprenticeship courses will be clearly labelled as such, with progression routes into apprenticeship clearly identified and information on these courses will be published on www. apprenticeship.ie.
- An employer survey will determine baseline employer attitude and extent of knowledge of supports available to employers for supporting employees with a disability.
I am satisfied that these measures and the implementation process for the Apprenticeship Action Plan overall will have a significant impact in ensuring greater diversity in the apprenticeship population as a whole.
