Thomas Gould
Ceist:92. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department will reach its target of 10,000 apprentices in 2023. [6884/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 14 February 2023
Ceisteanna (92)
Freagraí scríofa
The ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship more accessible to employers and learners. The Plan seeks to deliver on a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum, across a wide range of programmes, by 2025.
We are making significant progress in realising the ambition of the Plan. A key objective is to make apprenticeship more attractive to employers and learners, to ensure their continued engagement and to attract those who have not previously engaged with the system.
Progress to date includes:
- The establishment of the National Apprenticeship Office (NAO), the appointment of its first Director and the initiation of its work plan;
- The removal of legislative barriers to the development of apprenticeship programmes in professions, enabled by the approval of the Oireachtas of the Higher Education Authority Bill, 2022;
- The establishment of the National Apprenticeship Alliance (NAA), representing the broad range of partners involved in apprenticeship;
- The establishment of the Access and Inclusion subcommittee, to help make apprenticeship more reflective of the national population;
- Securing resources for access measures, including a bursary programme for under-represented groups;
- The introduction of the apprenticeship employer grant of €2,000 and a gender bursary grant of €2,666;
- The allocation of €17.2m in additional capital investment for SOLAS and the HEA, building on the €20 million Apprenticeship Capital Fund investment in 2021;
- The inclusion of apprenticeship options on the CAO website from November 2021
- The NAO Freephone advice helpline was officially launched on 19 January 2023
- The expansion of apprenticeship to all areas of the economy to date thus widening the impact of apprenticeship to areas of skills shortage such as engineering, technology skills, logistics, and fintech
The positive impacts of these measures are already evident in apprentice registrations. 2021 figures showed a total of 8,607 registrations that year– an increase of 40% on figures for 2019 (the last full pre-Covid year). 2022 saw 8,286 registrations and a population of over 26,000.
The NAO will continue to drive central branding and promotional activities targeted to heighten public awareness of the range of apprenticeship offerings and the further implementation of the Action Plan. Consequently, I am confident that we will meet if not exceed our target of 10,000 annual registrations by 2025.