Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister and his opening comments. I acknowledge the breadth of work his Department has undertaken across all sectors of learning. There is a great deal to be encouraged by, particularly the progress on student accommodation the Minister just mentioned. I will mention the return of student accommodation in Munster Technological University, MTU, in Tralee recently. That is a relief going forward for those students attending MTU, which is growing and growing. That has to be acknowledged.

Today, I will focus a lot of my attention and contribution on apprenticeships and will highlight some critical concerns about how we are supporting apprentices, both now and into the future. The Minister mentioned the five-year strategy for apprenticeships and an ambition for a more integrated system that reflects the changing world of work. This is very welcome but we must be honest about apprentices. Right now, we are facing real challenges that could derail those ambitions unless we address them. Apprenticeships remain financially unattractive and increasingly difficult to sustain. Wages remain a large issue. Some apprentices, especially in their first or second year, are earning barely above the minimum wage and in some cases not even that. How can we reasonably expect young people to train and live independently, particularly in areas with spiralling living costs? Fees are a barrier. Apprentice students are still required to pay student contribution charges, a policy which in effect penalises those taking vocational routes over academic ones. I find that deeply unfair. This brings me to the programme for Government. There is a commitment to reduce the student contribution fees overall but apprentices are still waiting for clarity.

Will that commitment extend to them? Will they see a reduction or an elimination of their fees? I ask these questions because we need to show we are serious about parity of esteem between apprenticeships and traditional third level routes.

I urge the Minister to consider a couple of key measures. Will he increase apprentice pay, particularly in the early stages of training? This provision may require co-operation with industry but is vital for retention. Will he eliminate or significantly reduce student contribution fees for apprentices, especially given their practical work contributions during their training? Will he provide clear timelines and targets for expanding apprenticeship places across non-traditional sectors, which have been mentioned already, including the greentech, healthcare and digital sectors? Last, will he increase wraparound supports such as travel allowances, hardship funds and affordable accommodation access for block release phases?

I will highlight two further steps that must be undertaken, the first of which is the SUSI income disregard. As it stands, too many students are penalised for working part-time jobs. If they earn more than the current income level is €8,424 for the year, they risk losing grant support. I call for the income disregard to be raised to €12,000 so students can earn without fear of disqualification. This will ease the cost-of-living burden and allow students and their families to plan more securely. Can the Minister increase the pay that apprentice students earn on release so that they can complete their education?

On the issue of fees more broadly, we should set a clear goal of eliminating student contribution fees across all third level sector education over the next five years. Such an initiative would be a transformative step and would be in line with the spirit of the programme for Government. It would also ensure that access to education is based on ability and aspiration, not financial capacity. Last, I commend the €1,000 reduction in student fees to date, which has been a lifeline for many families.