Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We can all acknowledge that, in terms of the quality of the instructors and the dedication and commitment of the apprentices, we have a world-class system, but it is held together by the apprentices and instructors.

It happens in spite of rather than because of Government policy.

People who complete apprenticeship programmes in the State are highly valued by employers at home and abroad, as we all know. This is very much a testament to their hard work, their talent and the quality and commitment of the instructors working within a system that is effectively broken. Due to a lack of care and investment, successive Governments have failed to increase the number of apprentices in the system and expand the types of apprenticeships on offer in line with other advanced economies. Thanks to the dedication of people involved in the delivery of apprenticeships, our system has continued to perform and deliver high-quality tradespeople and other professionals. However, too few people get apprenticeships and they miss out on training and career prospects as a result.

We constantly hear of skills shortages in certain sectors but there is no labour shortage. There are thousands of men and women of all ages who would be delighted to undertake an apprenticeship if the opportunity were there. This is especially true of young people. I know from contacts I have had with constituents in Balbriggan, Skerries, Swords and across north County Dublin that young people would bite your hand off for an opportunity. I read last week that the apprentice development manager at the engineering contractor Mercury said young people were not applying to become electricians, plumbers and pipe-fitters because they did not want to get up early in the morning. He called this a fact but I would like to see the information behind this because it is not my experience of young people. In fact, if we listen to an Teachta Conway-Walsh and study the important survey she has undertaken, and I hope the Minister of State is paying attention to that, we hear from people who are struggling within the system but who want to be able to go through that system and do the hard work associated with apprenticeships. They say every generation idolises its own, and this seems to be a case of older people lecturing younger people and saying “It wasn’t like that in my day”.

In many ways, though, it is not like it used to be anymore. With skyrocketing rental and housing costs, excessive insurance premiums, fuel hikes, energy prices, escalating homelessness, attacks on trade unions, poverty and economic inequality, insecure jobs and short-term contracts, no pensions, low pay or being trapped on apprentices’ wages for months or years longer than necessary because the State has not provided adequate off-the-job training capacity, it is not like it once was. What are the good people at Mercury’s views on these issues? Perhaps these issues have a lot to do with the issues they say they are facing. Blaming young people is a very lame and tired excuse. It is past time the State and companies like Mercury looked at themselves with regard to these issues and looked at their own role.

Where apprentices are taken on, they often find they are trapped on apprentices’ wages for months or years longer than necessary because there is no adequate off-the-job training. These issues are a shame because mounting evidence shows the positive impact access to apprenticeships can have on school-to-work transition, youth unemployment and economic growth. As we exit the pandemic, it is vital we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. Youth employment needs to be at the heart of our post-Covid recovery and this is where expanding the apprenticeship system fits in. However, it has to be a decent system and one that delivers for the apprentice. Apprenticeships have always offered people an alternative path to a qualification and a job. An apprenticeship allows students to work and learn at the same time, and they come away with a tangible skill that allows them to contribute to the workforce and to broader society. It is crucial to ensure the apprenticeship system is resilient in order that it can continue to have a positive impact on education and the job prospects of young people.

Overall numbers of apprenticeships remain low, as does participation of women in apprenticeships, particularly in construction. This has to change. There is also a need to increase access for people with disabilities and other marginalised groups, such as Travellers. As the world of work changes, we must ensure a revised and revitalised apprenticeship programme is in place to provide opportunities for our young people. In that regard, we also need to develop a strategy to deliver a robust, high-wage, high-growth and high-productivity economy, the sort of economy where apprenticeships flourish. The solution has to be the Government working with industry, the higher education sector, banking and, crucially, the trade union movement to develop an indigenous industrial strategy that focuses on creating a strong and diverse economic base of SMEs, microbusinesses and family businesses, operating domestically and internationally, which provide apprenticeships and well-paying, unionised jobs in manufacturing and engineering, ICT, green technology and energy, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, medical technology, food and drink, and other growing sectors.

The Minister of State should be listening to what Connect Trade Union is saying in regard to apprenticeships and the current proposals. The system that was in place worked well, but it is obvious from what has happened in other jurisdictions that, while the road the Government is going down will result in an improvement, the Government still needs to listen to the people who are on the front line. That is effectively Connect Trade Union because it knows the system inside and out. It would serve apprentices and employers well to listen to those who have this very good and valuable experience.

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