Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin will support the motion as it echoes our position and views on apprenticeships and the drastic change of tack that is needed. We have been calling for greater investment in apprenticeships and a wider choice of apprenticeship courses focused on current skills shortages. We have also called on the Government to address the gender imbalance, which has been mentioned frequently today, and the virtual absence of women applying for and taking up apprenticeships. This year, only 2% of apprentices were women, which is a shocking figure.

Sinn Féin has consistently called for the inclusion of opportunities for people with additional needs and for them to be treated fairly and offered the choice to take up an apprenticeship in an area in which they are interested. We allocated €32.8 million in our alternative budget for the provision of 4,411 additional apprenticeships and the development of ten extra courses next year alone. This compares with just €20 million the Government announced for 2019. The number of people in apprenticeship training remains far too low. This will lead to a skills shortage in a number of areas in the coming years, particularly the construction and hospitality industries. We are already seeing this in construction where it is difficult to get qualified people.

The delivery of new courses and expansion of the system are far too slow and the Government is missing its own targets in this area. In 2017, just 391 people took part in newly established apprenticeship programmes, a significantly lower figure than the Government's target of 800.

In addition, only nine of the promised 15 new apprenticeship programmes were introduced last year. The female participation rate is completely unacceptable at just 2% this year. The rate of youth unemployment remains far too high at . Only last month the National Youth Council of Ireland said that 8,000 young people in Ireland have been unemployed for 12 months or more. There is concern about the 7,817 young people under 26 who are now long-term unemployed. We know that Dublin saw the highest number of young people in long-term unemployment with 1,697 people aged 26 and under having no job, followed by Cork with 526 and Limerick with 469. When one is unemployed for more than a year or more it is difficult to break the cycle and get back into the workforce. It is important that we try to catch people at a young age before they fall into that trap.

The National Youth Council stated the need for development of, and investment in, an access apprenticeship programme to support young people who have fewer opportunities and qualifications. In view of that, it called for an investment of €2 million to help more young people access apprenticeship programmes, stating opportunities should remain open to all young people, particularly those who were are economically and socially disadvantaged. The entrance criteria for some apprenticeships now require qualifications to a certain level in some subjects. That does nothing to help the young person who has the motivation, aptitude and potential skills for a trade but cannot meet the entrance criteria. The council proposed that the Government would provide an additional 2,650 education and training places at a cost of €20 million, which would lead to reduced social welfare payments as more young people move into employment.

The council also highlighted the fact that the Government has yet to draw down on Youth Guarantee funding which is available via central EU funding. That is something we should avail of as it is intend to go towards creating measures for young people under the age of 25 to support a good quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within a short time of becoming unemployed. That is something that requires further examination.

The number of apprenticeship programmes available in Ireland is substantially behind other European countries. For example, Austria has 250 apprenticeship occupations while Germany has some 348. Currently, approximately 41 are available here. We need to see a more creative approach towards apprenticeships in areas such as green energy, hospitality, childcare and administration, which would more than likely offer more choice and opportunities to women as well.

Trades should not be limited to men. I accept the point has also been made by the Ministers who have spoken. Women should beencouraged to develop trades knowing that a trade offers a realistic and sustainable career path for them as well as for men. It is therefore important that women are encouraged to take up trade apprenticeships. In the past many women were skilled in carpentry, painting and decorating and we should encourage a return to that.

In general, we hear much talk in society as well as from the Government about encouraging more women to return to the workforce and creating initiatives to achieve that end. We need to be serious and to get real about some of the reasons women find it difficult to enter the workforce. One of the main barriers is the provision of childcare and the cost of it. We know how we compare to other EU countries where costs are heavily subsidised. The lack of affordable childcare in Ireland has contributed to low rates of participation by women in the workforce. Childcare fees in Ireland are well above both the EU and OECD average. In both apprenticeships and further education we must examine the barriers that exist due to the lack of availability of childcare and the cost of it. The affordable childcare scheme is a welcome initiative but we need to expand on the provision of childcare as it can be a major barrier to women in particular going back to work or further education. We are happy to support the motion.

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