John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Fianna Fáil for this constructive motion on apprenticeships. I have no problem with incorporating some of its proposals in the Action Plan for Apprenticeships 2016-2020. I will try to address as many of the points made as I can but I urge people to read the action plan.

I assure the House that the Government is committed to supporting increased registration of apprenticeships across all sectors. One of the key commitments in the action plan is the expansion of apprenticeships and traineeships to 50,000 enrolments by 2020, almost doubling the current levels of activity. Over the lifetime of the plan, more than 40 new apprenticeships and 30 new traineeships will be delivered. To date, 17 new apprenticeship programmes are operational following the Apprenticeship Council's two call outs in 2015 and 2017. These new programmes span a variety of sectors, ranging from financial services, bio-pharma, ICT and hospitality and further new apprenticeships will get underway in 2018 and 2019 in various areas, including construction, engineering, horticulture and agriculture. Year on year, we are exceeding the targets for registrations on craft trades. However, it is important to note that not all craft trades have recovered to the same extent. There is ongoing engagement between SOLAS and the construction industry stakeholders on support for some of the lower volume trades, including on proposals to develop the model of shared apprenticeship. Members will be aware that previously apprenticeships were in the areas of plastering, bricklaying, carpentry and so on. Much of this activity collapsed following the collapse in the construction sector, all of which occurred before this Government came to power. Statistics show that during the boom in construction many companies, because they needed to get buildings constructed quickly, did not take on apprentices but instead hired subcontractors to do the work. One cannot blame the Government for this, but it was a problem. The generation of apprenticeships national promotion campaign has been under way since 2017, led by the Apprenticeship Council in co-operation with SOLAS. It promotes apprenticeships on television, radio and social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It has been designed to influence parents, teachers and potential apprentices on the career paths and further educational opportunities arising from apprenticeship programmes.

There will be a stepped up focus on employers in the second phase of the national promotion campaign. The Apprenticeship Council is currently engaging with industry sectors to gather feedback on apprenticeship provision, to discuss practical challenges as well as opportunities emerging and plans for the future. It will also give consortia direct access to the council's guidance and support which will ensure the sustainability of newly developed apprenticeships. Work is also under way on pre-apprenticeship provision. I am informed by SOLAS that it is currently engaged with key stakeholders in considering relevant pathways and opportunities for pre-apprenticeship initiatives, including the craft trades. We must ensure that apprenticeships are accessible to everyone. SOLAS has completed its review of the paths to apprenticeships, which is available on its website. The purpose of the review is to ensure that our national apprenticeship system is reflective of the range of diversity in the population, more inclusive of diverse backgrounds and abilities and that apprenticeship opportunities are more readily accessible to all. My Department will continue to work with SOLAS and apprenticeship partners and stakeholders to progress areas identified for action.

The Government is committed to supporting the expansion of the apprenticeship and traineeship system. To this end, it has increased the 2019 budget allocation for apprenticeship training by 16% to €142 million and the traineeship budget by almost 17% to €47.9 million. Apprenticeships have received a lot of media attention in the last few days, with the launch of two new apprenticeships in the bio-pharma and technology analyst and technician sectors, 200 craft apprentices being presented with advanced certificates and, in Waterford, with the first new industry-led apprentices receiving their degree in industrial electrical engineering.

I will try to address some of the issues raised. Other countries, including Germany and Austria, were mentioned. One has to take into account the size of a country, the size of its economy, its population and so on. There are some countries relevant to Ireland that are doing very well. One has also to take account of the particular industry of a country. For example, there is a big steel and car manufacturing industry in Germany. We do not have those types of industries here and so we do not have apprenticeships in those areas. Also, when a country reaches full employment or is 5% or 6% off full employment there is a difficulty attracting apprenticeships with call outs.

Someone - I think one of the Sinn Féin Deputies - asked about Bord na Móna. There are apprenticeships in Bord na Móna in automation, plant-fitting and so on. There is no doubt that we have some difficulties in gender accessibility and diversity. All 29 apprenticeships - electrical instrumentation and insurance practice being two - are open to all genders. We have a difficulty with a low take-up by female apprentices and are dealing with the reasons for this as best we can with all of the relevant agencies. I will give the House some statistics in that regard. In 2015 we had 16 female participants; in 2016 we had 60; in 2017, 145 and this year, 323. The figure is small, but it is growing substantially. I think we will be able to deal with the issue.

Fianna Fáil Deputies raised a number of issues, including the apprenticeship promotional campaign. A promotional campaign for Generation Apprenticeship has been under way since 2017 and is led by the Apprenticeship Council with the co-operation of SOLAS. The second phase of the Generation Apprenticeship campaign is under way. Furthermore, ETBs and SOLAS are working to implement the PLC review recommendation of 500 pre-apprenticeship places in PLC colleges, which will promote and enhance access to apprenticeships for under-represented groups. The independent review of career guidance being carried out by Indecon international consultants will examine the quality and range of information and resources available to students in schools and other settings.

Considering from where we have come, compared with where we are today, and given the devastation of the apprenticeship sector in the past ten to 15 years, we have advanced significantly in apprenticeships. The targets, for instance, have been exceeded. The annual targets for apprenticeship registrations are set out in the action plan which I have asked Deputies to examine. The 2016 apprenticeship registration target was exceeded, with 3,821 apprenticeships registered. It represented a 317% increase on the low of 1,024 apprenticeships in 2010. Although the upper trend continues, with a total of 4,843 new registrations, comprising 4,508 craft and 335 new, in 2017, we did not reach our target of 800 new registrations in a total of 15 new apprenticeships. We did, however, exceed our target of 4,147 registrations in craft apprenticeships. At the end of October 2018 there were 4,655 apprentice registrations, comprising 4,135 registrations for craft-based apprenticeships and 520 registrations for new programmes. As I said, some of the proposals Fianna Fáil has made are very constructive and my Department and I will most certainly look at them in the coming weeks. As I said, we have the action plan for apprenticeships 2016 to 2020 and are all the time dealing with and talking to stakeholders and listening to what people and companies say.

We make call-outs on all apprenticeships, but it is sometimes very difficult to direct the people one wants to see in a particular apprenticeship to go into it. We can do all we can - advertise it, go to schools and businesses, as we do, put it up on websites and so on - but when one make a call-out, one relies on people stepping up to say they want to participate in the apprenticeship. Deputies often come to me to say there are old apprenticeships, skills and crafts that are being lost and ask whether we could try to reinvigorate them. I say yes. Those Deputies should come forward with a number of people who might be interested in the apprenticeship, skill or craft, whether it be thatching or something else, and we will see whether we can get an apprenticeship programme going for that skill.

I again thank Fianna Fáil. I would have liked to have had a lot more time to speak to the motion. We will not oppose it because we believe there are some elements of it that are practical and constructive and can be added to the action plan for apprenticeships 2016 to 2020.

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