Dr. Mary-Liz Trant:

SOLAS has been closely involved over the past four years in the national policy to expand apprenticeship, supporting the Department of Education and Skills and working with ETBs, higher education institutions, the HEA, Quality and Qualifications Ireland, the enterprise community, apprentices and trainees. The expansion of apprenticeship is a key priority for the Government, drawing on a strong track record, evidence that apprenticeship is an effective way of meeting skills needs and building the pipeline of talent within industry, and a vision of its potential to become a major route to skills development. Following an independent review of the apprenticeship system in 2013, the then Minister for Education and Skills appointed an Apprenticeship Council in late 2014 to steer expansion of apprenticeships into new areas of industry and leading to awards from level 5 to level 10 on the national framework of qualifications.

The programme for Government and the Action Plan for Education contain a commitment to having a cumulative 31,000 enrolments on apprenticeship programmes between 2016 and 2020, which represents more than a doubling of activity over the period. Details of how this overall target would be reached through increased enrolments each year are set out in the action plan to expand apprenticeship and traineeship, along with information on supporting initiatives. The remit of the Apprenticeship Council is to oversee the development of a range of new apprenticeships, initially through a call for proposals, and to examine the issues associated with creating a more flexible and accessible model of apprenticeship that would meet the needs of a diverse range of employers. Alongside this work, the curricula of existing craft apprenticeships are being remodelled to keep pace with new methods and technologies in the workplace and to ensure apprentices have the broader range of literacy, numeracy, ICT and teamworking skills they need to be successful.

As of this month, November 2018, the number of national apprenticeship programmes has increased to 42, up from 27 in 2016, and a further 35 programmes are in the pipeline. The new apprenticeships are developed and overseen by industry-led consortia and are based on identification of skills needs. More than 500 employers are now hiring apprentices on the new programmes, including many in the technology, finance, biopharma, medtech, logistics and hospitality and tourism industries - companies which are using apprenticeship for the first time as a talent pipeline for their business. Craft apprenticeships are increasing strongly, with industry re-engaging with apprenticeship recruitment, and apprentice registrations have more than doubled since the end of 2013, going from 1,929 to in excess of 4,500 as of the end of October 2018.

Registrations for craft apprenticeships are exceeding forecasts and whereas registrations on the 17 newer programmes have been lower than originally envisaged, these are rising as the programmes become more established.

We are now in a new phase of development of apprenticeships. All the key building blocks are in place and there is an excellent base of new programmes. The focus is now on employers and learners. Through the Apprenticeship Council and other partners, we are working hard with employers to ensure they fully exploit these new opportunities to develop the talent in their workforce. It is only through real partnership and employer support that these important pathways into employment for the first time or to career advancement can be opened. In recent months, the Apprenticeship Council began engaging with industry representatives in the consortia to discuss progress, how the apprenticeships are meeting skills needs, employer support for the new programmes and the ambition regarding targets for each apprenticeship to 2020. Work is also under way to address the visibility of apprenticeship opportunities, to promote these pathways to women and other under-represented groups and to engage with the career guidance community. The Generation Apprenticeship campaign is in full swing and the campaign has much to promote. Last month, the first graduates from new apprenticeship programmes emerged and hundreds of craft apprentices received their qualifications. Members are due to speak with some apprentices later. A review of pathways to apprenticeship has been published and a number of new apprenticeship programmes have been launched.

I ask the committee to note the key role of SOLAS in meeting Ireland’s skills needs, both in terms of apprenticeship and labour market-focused provision nationwide that provides work-ready graduates with up-to-date skills and by publishing key reports that analyse the labour market and identify our current and future skills needs. A survey of employers that is soon to be published indicates the high regard in which employers hold our further and higher education graduates. There is much positive feedback on the contribution of an expanded apprenticeship system in meeting skills needs and on its future potential. With 17 new apprenticeship programmes available and 35 more in the pipeline, a key success factor over the coming years will be to secure large-scale buy-in from employers to the new and expanded apprenticeship offerings, particularly in industry areas where apprenticeship has not been a traditional part of the skills pipeline.

In addition to this opening statement, we have provided three data tables on apprentice registrations over the past four years, the number of participating employers on new apprenticeship programmes and new apprenticeship programmes due to roll out over the coming months. We look forward to discussing with members the progress made and the opportunities and challenges to come.