Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and apprentices, who are not covered by minimum wage legislation, are struggling with the rising cost of tools, travel, college fees and rent. Sinn Féin conducted a survey of apprentices and the results are shocking. A motor mechanic in Kildare who responded said, “Ireland is a hard place to live as a young person and even harder as an apprentice. Especially the first year, particularly with the rising fuel costs. Imagine working 2 days to pay for fuel to put in your car to work for 5 days.” Deputy Conway-Walsh referred to this person in her speech. A plumber from Kildare who responded said “A thousand euro in fees for phase 4 and again for phase 6, trying to keep a van on the road with outrageous costs and I won’t even start about the cost of housing when we’re on a low wage.”

We are in the middle of a housing crisis. Sinn Féin is committed to delivering the largest public house-building programme in the history of the State. We will also need a significant input of skills if we are to manage the necessary climate action and a just transition. My colleague Councillor Noel Connolly brought a motion to Kildare County Council last year seeking to directly employ staff to maintain and renovate housing. The reply was that the council was considering taking on apprentices. We are almost a year on from that motion and still no action has been taken. The council often claims it does not have resources for extra staff. The Government must invest in apprentices. We need to move away from the "Do as I say, not as I do" attitude.

The council also struggles to get contractors, particularly for smaller jobs. It has taken to grouping small jobs together for quotes which delays the repairs further. Often there is an older or vulnerable person in urgent need of that repair and it is not good enough that they have to wait for weeks in some cases for a plumbing or electrical issue to be resolved. It is bad enough that they cannot afford the cost of the electricity, but when it is not working it is even worse.

Sinn Féin in government will set more ambitious targets to increase the number of apprentices. We will increase the number of apprentices employed by the public sector and State agencies. We will also incentivise the employment of apprentices in the private sector by leveraging public procurement through the use of apprenticeship clauses in State contracts. We will also work towards the development of an all-Ireland apprenticeship system. We will abolish fees for apprentices to take the pressure off struggling workers. We need to do something.

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