Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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With regard to the budget, I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for acknowledging the positive in it. The budget for last year versus this year for apprenticeships has gone up by €10 million. Obviously, the backlog is a huge issue that we are concerned about but, as has been acknowledged by all parties, we have made a huge amount of progress on it. Eighty-seven instructors were recruited, with more to be advertised. Eighty temporary instructor staff were made permanent and SOLAS has mandated the ETBs to deliver a third intake.

With regard to the capacity, because Deputy Mairéad Farrell mentioned it but she has left now, training capacity in the ETBs has increased by 34% from 5,600 places in 2023 to over 7,500 in August 2024. The phase 2 backlog has been more than halved from 5,000 in October 2023 to just under 2,500.

With regard to the apprenticeship model, we meet regularly through the LEEF with representatives of employers, the unions, the Department and SOLAS. We are looking at a single system. I grew up in a house where craft apprenticeship was part and parcel of our household. My father always had a craft apprenticeship. We are looking at proposals. We are looking at suggestions that have been made. We obviously will not rush into anything because I am not a great believer in throwing the baby, bathwater, sink, taps and everything out. There are many things that work but reform is not something that people should be afraid of either. We will work with the employer representatives and the unions. As well as that, at the previous LEEF I was conscious of the apprentice because I recently met those apprentices who are part of the Building Heroes campaign and they pointed out many minor issues that take a lot of time to change that they would like to see changed. It was the same at WorldSkills, in Lyon and here in Dublin, with regard to young men and women, particularly in the crafts, who would like to see changes. There needs to be an avenue for them to filter their view in as well. It cannot only be about the employer, the Government and the union representatives. We need to hear the voices of the learners as well.