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

I will deal later with the issue of innovation. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, referred to the 25 new programmes identified, which were selected following a competitive process that was industry-led. Earlier this year we engaged, through the management council, with the industry on its view on new apprenticeships and the new areas in which this could happen. We received submissions which identified more than 86 new areas, from which the top 25 were selected and given the go-ahead in July. We hope to receive a report in October on how quickly they can be implemented. Some of them will commence this year and others will commence early next year. We propose to move ahead with them. Four of the programmes will be in the manufacturing area, with the remainder being in the IT, finance, tourism and catering areas. In terms of training and apprenticeships this is the model we want to develop. The objective is to have people job-ready. We are seeking to identify new areas in terms of apprenticeships so as to ensure people are job-ready, can slot into a company at an early stage and contribute from day one to help the companies concerned to expand and grow.

All of the evidence and reports in this area suggest that 70% of companies expect to increase employment in the months and years ahead. We must ensure the skills we can provide through the domestic market match their needs. That is what we are trying to do in terms of apprenticeships. Apprenticeships must be employer-driven. I would ask that members consult with the employer groups with which they are involved in regard to their becoming involved in the apprenticeship model. It is hoped that a further 35 new areas will be announced next year. As I said, apprenticeships must be employer-driven. They will not work if they are not employer-driven and employer-focused by design. Every effort is being made to ensure the apprenticeships selected matched the needs of companies. This approach will be also adopted in our science strategy. We are trying to ensure that we are producing what enterprise needs. Companies cannot grow without talent. That is the bottom line.