Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy that there has been a major reform in this area in the past couple of years. There is no doubt about the long-term benefits. We should try to move as quickly as we can to benefit from them now. Much reform also took place in 2014 and there were budget changes because of all the reallocations to the different centres. It is important to use the reform structures as quickly as possible and benefit from them. We hope to use all the reform structures and I think we are in a position to do that and introduce the changes needed. We must become, at ETB level, enterprise based and engage with enterprise when it comes to skills development. That is what we are trying to do as best we can.

The number of people who will benefit from all the formal education and training through SOLAS is about 340,000 but the total number of places is about 270,000. The number of people in training in SOLAS is 72,000. We are matching demand but we must ensure they acquire the skills they need. We are trying to link with the full education and training strategy and the service plans with the ETBs to ensure it is relevant and all the courses and the training are relevant and will lead to a further career or further education.

There are 6,000 places on the MOMENTUM programme this year, including 2,000 places for those under 25 years of age. The Skillnets programme will support 8,000 education and training places for the unemployed. Skillnets made another call recently. I attended its launch and likewise it is trying to engage in a partnership with enterprise. Springboard made its call a few weeks ago to close at the end of March, if I remember correctly, to provide 5,200 places and 900 full-time ICT skills conversion courses. The pressure is on to increase the number of people coming through with ICT qualifications. Skillnets will also support an additional 32,000 training places for those in employment and will continue to increase the number of training days. We are seeking to provide longer courses. Given the increase in the number of days, courses are generally longer. Skillnets is in charge of ManagementWorks. The training network programme will ensure a wider target market is reached by the programme. Given that we are using the national training fund which has been contributed to by employers, we are trying to ensure the management training works scheme reflects their needs also.

It is estimated that there were up to 3,000 new registrations for 2015 for the existing apprenticeships. As the Deputy is aware, we are reforming the existing apprenticeship scheme. There is an agreed mechanism to speed up the review and progress is being made in that area

We are in ongoing engagement with CIF around the whole construction sector because the shortage of skills will be an issue for this year as well. There is much interaction with SOLAS and the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Social Protection. We are working with CIF to bring about changes in JobsPlus which will help the situation. At all times the apprenticeships have to be employer driven. In respect of the next apprenticeship models, the call is open until the end of March. There has been a lot of what we would call beating the bushes, to the Departments of Education and Science, Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Social Protection to try to engage with all the providers of education, both private and public, the education and training boards, employers and employer organisations and industry representative bodies to try to ensure we get the proposals. There are many conversations around this issue and everywhere I go around the country, everyone is talking about it but we need to ensure they come forward and step up with their proposals. We are prepared to assist those who need help to design or implement them. Certainly, some are ready with their proposals. We hope to have all the proposals on the table by the end of March. The Apprenticeship Council of Ireland will review them and make recommendations to the Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, following which decisions will be made. It is hoped to have the new versions ready to be implemented by autumn 2015 but certainly by early 2016. That will require additional funding but the Cabinet is well aware of that. We have been at Cabinet on this issue on a couple of occasions. We will seek the funding required when we know exactly what we can do. I was asked about the apprenticeship legislation, again this will be designed to match the proposals. Money is ring-fenced for the uptake of existing apprenticeships this year. That is probably the short version.