Dr. Mary-Liz Trant:

The benefit of an apprenticeship is a salary, even though it is not high at the beginning. It is certainly better than if one is a student investing in one's education but having to fund it all oneself. The salary for apprentices is in many cases a negotiation or an agreement between what an employer pays and, in the case of craft apprenticeships, matching it with a training allowance. It is low. It is approximately €200 for year 1, but does go up. Part of the consideration that has to go on is whether this is an investment in one's career and whether one can figure out a way of doing it.

There is no doubt that it is challenging for older apprentices and people who already have costs. It is not an easy one. There is reference in the action plan to look at some form of additional support for people who have financial requirements or need. There are things such as the student assistance fund in academic further and higher education. Could or should something be looked at for apprentices? It is complex enough in terms of figuring out how one might manage it, means testing and how it would work. As the apprentice population grows and as the profile of apprentices becomes more diverse, we will have to engage with it and look to see what could be done.