Ms Bridget Kelly:

Thank you for inviting us here today to speak about the Traveller apprenticeship incentivisation programme, commonly known as the TAIP. I am making today’s statement as programme manager. I am delighted to be joined by my colleagues Bernard Joyce, director of the Irish Traveller Movement, our TAIP outreach officer, Pat Stokes, and Rossa Gilsenan, our administrator from the TAIP programme, who is in the Gallery. We are delighted and honoured to be here today to talk to the committee about the programme. We welcome the opportunity to update it on our work and progress to date.

The Traveller apprenticeship programme is funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science through the Dormant Accounts Fund and hosted by the Irish Traveller Movement. We have a staff team made up of a manager, two outreach officers and an administrator. We are entering our third pilot year. The programme supports members of the Traveller community to access and remain apprenticeships and encourages employers to take on Traveller apprentices. The scheme provides employer grants of €2,000, alongside bursaries of up to €3,000 for members of the Traveller community who want to do either apprenticeships or pre-apprenticeship programmes.

The TAIP’s model is rooted in a community development approach which is Traveller-led and which ensures culturally appropriate and needs-based support. We raise awareness of the bursary and apprenticeships through the network of local Traveller representative organisations and work with a range of education, training and support organisations alongside employers to enhance access to apprenticeship opportunities for Travellers. On the apprentice side, demand for our support is high and much of our work involves providing one-to-one assistance to members of the Traveller community seeking apprenticeships or pre-apprenticeship courses, while also linking them with local ETBs and apprenticeship courses. On the employer side, our outreach officer focuses solely on making links with employers in order to support their uptake of Traveller apprentices. In this regard, we have made progress with some employers for example the ESB, Mr. Price, AXA and Irish Rail. We are also at a very early stage, along with the National Apprenticeship Office, on a much-needed national employer campaign for Traveller apprentices and for apprentices from other marginalised communities. In 2025, together with Business in the Community Ireland, we delivered two training sessions on Traveller employment, recruitment and retention training to more than 60 employers and stakeholder organisations. One of these sessions was supported by IBEC.

On the programme outcomes, an evaluation of the pilot programme to date has been undertaken. This is due to be published by the Department and, hopefully, launched by end of this year. We have outlined in our paper to the committee some useful statistics on the uptake of apprenticeships, the related types and the expressions of interest. I am happy to take any questions on that area today also. Since the start of the pilot programme, we have had 457 expressions of interest from members of the Traveller community in the apprenticeship scheme, and we have funded 150 applicants to date. The uptake in respect of the employer grant in that time however is only eight, with just one so far in 2025. Over 90% of those who completed an expression of interest met the educational requirements for apprenticeships, and 32% had the leaving certificate or higher.

Fears of discrimination, a lack of confidence in approaching potential employers, and limited connections with employers were identified as barriers to potential apprentices. Fewer Traveller women than expected applied, and specific focus is now on combating the barriers to participation for Traveller women. The bursaries have been crucial in helping apprentices stay in and progress through their apprenticeships. They cover costs such as those relating to tools, equipment, clothing, and transport. Recipients reported increased confidence, empowerment, and feeling on an equal footing with their colleagues. On the other hand, many Traveller apprentices do not disclose or actively hide their Traveller identity due to fear of discrimination or past negative experiences. Most had witnessed language which was discriminatory and offensive to Travellers in the workplace but did not feel in a position to challenge it.

Turning to some of the challenges within the programme, there were more people seeking apprenticeships than employers willing to take Travellers on. We continue to work with employers to understand the obstacles encountered, but this a huge undertaking. It is even bigger than the resources available to the programme, and there is a need for a multilevel focus and drive.

For Traveller apprentices, self-identifying continues to be a major issue. There is systemic and residual discrimination in the employer sector, with few availing of the grant or placement. Access to pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship training courses is also an issue. We have advocated for Travellers to be prioritised for these courses. There are not enough courses available and those that are available do not have enough places to meet the need.

A committed and prioritised focus is needed across employer bodies, both private and public, training institutions and the national employment activation programmes to promote the Traveller apprenticeship incentivisation programme and increase employer uptake. The TAIP demonstrates the importance of targeted, Traveller-specific measures in addressing unemployment and inequality. Sustained support and stronger employer partnerships will be essential to ensure apprenticeships become a real and lasting opportunity for Travellers.

Before concluding, we would like to highlight three key areas where the committee’s support would be invaluable, those being, encouraging stronger employer engagement, particularly within the public service, to create apprenticeship opportunities for Travellers and support positive action measures, which the TAIP cannot alone address; supporting prioritisation of Travellers in accessing pre-apprenticeship programmes delivered through ETBs and higher education institutions; and securing long-term, mainstream funding to provide stability and sustainability for the TAIP beyond the Dormant Accounts Fund.

The TAIP has proven to be a positive initiative that is growing from strength to strength each year, but it needs to move from being a pilot project to a sustainable model that delivers real and lasting change in apprenticeship access and employment outcomes for Travellers.

I thank the committee for the opportunity to present here today. We look forward to members’ questions.