Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Fianna Fáil for tabling this motion on apprenticeships, which is timely and useful. Given that Sinn Féin has been advocating for greater investment in apprenticeships for a considerable time and we produced a policy document on what we believe is needed, I am pleased Fianna Fáil now also sees the benefits of this method of education and training.

I recognise the work and interest of the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, in apprenticeships, but I urge him to refocus his efforts in the area. I am concerned at the slow reform and expansion of the apprenticeship system and I believe a greater importance should be placed on it. To be honest, although this motion is welcome, it is well known that a motion in this House is not binding. Therefore, it would have been more beneficial for Fianna Fáil to use its partnership position in government to ensure more funding was allocated in the recent budget for apprenticeships, rather than let the budget pass by and then give out about what the Government is not doing. Unfortunately, that is what has happened.

In our recent alternative budget for 2019, Sinn Féin allocated an additional €32.8 million for 2019 to provide for more than 4,400 apprenticeship places, bringing the total to 18,000, while also funding the establishment of ten new apprenticeship courses, in line with our five-year strategy in this area. Our allocation dwarfed that of the Government which amounts to just €20 million extra for next year. The Government's plans are unambitious, uninspiring and are unacceptably slow. It is not good enough that the Government is missing its own targets in this area. In 2017, just 391 people took part in newly established apprenticeship programmes, significantly missing the Government's target of 800. In addition, only nine of the promised 15 new apprenticeship programmes were introduced last year.

Apprenticeship training allows people to earn, learn and gain work experience while also working towards a qualification under the national framework of qualifications, NFQ. A great deal of work is needed to promote this method of education and training and to ensure buy-in from parents and students alike. Unfortunately, a belief developed in recent years that apprenticeships were somehow a lesser form of education than college or university. That is most certainly not the case, as college does not suit everyone, as we see from the dropout rates. Engaging in an apprenticeship is incredibly advantageous, as it allows a student to earn while learning and gaining valuable work experience at the same time. More needs to be done to highlight the benefits of apprenticeships and the careers to which they can lead.

Apprenticeships will also help to equip Ireland with the skilled workers it needs for growing and emerging industries in the coming years. Countless reports from industry have pointed out the current and developing shortage of skills in various sectors of the economy. The National Skills Bulletin 2017 cites skills shortages in the ICT, engineering, business and financial, healthcare, transport and construction industries. The Construction Industry Federation's report, Demand for Skills in Construction to 2020, outlined that Ireland will need 112,000 workers to deliver the houses and infrastructure we need in the coming years.

I am concerned at the current registration numbers in some of the craft apprenticeships. For example, just 74 people are registered in the plastering apprenticeship programme while only 164 are registered in the brick and stone-laying programme. We need to expand the number of apprentices in the construction sector radically in order to build the thousands of houses needed in the coming years, in addition to all the capital projects in the Ireland 2040 plan.

The rate of female participation in apprenticeships has been raised by a number of speakers. In addition to that, the inclusion of people with disabilities in apprenticeships has been something Sinn Féin has consistently highlighted as a serious issue of concern, and something that needs to be urgently addressed. It is astonishing to think that in 2018, there are just 319 female apprentices out of a total apprentice population of 13,921, representing a dismal 2%. I sought information about the level of participation of people with disabilities in apprenticeships. The response I got from the Minister failed to answer the question I asked, but information I received from SOLAS directly informed me that its records indicate 371 people with disabilities are engaged in apprenticeships. Again, that is an incredibly low rate of participation. I ask the Minister to ensure that in future this information is available in response to parliamentary questions, as this is a very important demographic, and it needs to be monitored to make sure this level of participation is increasing.

On a similar point, I previously asked about the participation rate of members of the Traveller community, and again the figures are not kept. How does Fine Gael expect to "promote greater Traveller participation in apprenticeships", which is a quote from the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021, if it does not even have data on the numbers currently involved?

The Government needs to refocus its efforts in apprenticeships and to invest in promoting apprenticeships as a worthwhile path for third level education. We need to expand radically the number of apprentices in the system. Although I welcome the ambition of the Minister to introduce a swathe of new courses, the delivery to date has been less than desirable. A better focus and priority must be placed on this plan. Sinn Féin will support the motion as we are keen advocates of apprenticeships and want to see this area radically expanded in the coming years.

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