Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There has been a precedent for this and it was never a case that the total fee was paid for the apprentices, as they always paid 30%. They were familiar with the concept of paying for at least some of the costs of attending institutes of technology. Comparing the typical allowance for an apprentice while completing the institute of technology phase, it ranges from €293 to €647 per week, depending on the trade involved and the phase of the apprenticeship. That compares with a standard student maintenance grant of €31 per week. I do not agree that this will act in any way as a disincentive to people taking up apprenticeship models, and the model we have in this country has been quite successful. The qualification received by apprentices is of a very high quality and it is of use not alone in Ireland but across the world. We have seen how we excel year after year in our world skills competition. Apprentices are receiving a very high quality qualification and I do not agree that this imposition will somehow act as a disincentive to engage in the process.

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