Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for tabling this important topical issue. Indeed, it is most timely because I spent the afternoon in a training centre in Glasnevin with our electrical and plumbing apprentices. I engaged very directly with the apprentices, talked to them about their experiences and heard their insights in respect of the Covid pandemic.

As the Deputy mentioned in her contribution, apprenticeships sit at the very heart of plans by the Government and myself to build a genuine third-level education and training system, one that recognises that we all learn in different ways. Sometimes the earning and learning model can be a very useful one. We want to ensure that we have an apprenticeship system that crosses the further and higher education sector, and one that brings together employers, education and training providers and our national skills infrastructure.

It has a crucial role to play in taking us out of the Covid-19 crisis, as apprenticeship programmes also provide a rapid route to economic recovery. There are currently 61 apprenticeship programmes in our country, 25 of which are what are referred to as craft or traditional apprenticeships. They have a largely standardised seven-phase programme of on-the-job and off-the-job training. Off-the-job training is delivered in phases 2, 4 and 6 of a craft apprenticeship in ETB training centres, institutes of technology and technological universities.

Unfortunately, as the Deputy has alluded to and as we all know, the Covid-19 related suspension of face-to-face training in the education and training sector has had a significant impact on the ability of craft apprentices to access off-the-job training. The public health advice was that some of these measures could not proceed in the interests of safety for a period. When permissible, face-to-face training is operating at approximately 50% of normal capacity to ensure adherence to public health guidance. That training is now back, but operators must adhere to social distancing rules and follow the public health guidance. This has also exacerbated the increasing pressure on training facilities, which had been growing as a result of the 90% increase in the apprentice population over the past six years. Indeed, we had great success as a country in growing the apprentice population. The combined impact of all of these factors has resulted in what the Deputy correctly referred to as a backlog in electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery and motor mechanics apprenticeship programmes, in particular.

The combined impact of all this has led to what the Deputy correctly refers to as a backlog, particularly in electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery and motor mechanic apprenticeship programmes. Remote training was introduced for craft apprenticeships assigned to off-the-job training phases from January 2021 and great credit is owed to all the staff, trainers and apprentices for this. They managed to put in place online learning for craft apprenticeship programmes, something that had never been done previously. That at least allowed them to progress with the theoretical parts of their courses. However, the core of a craft apprenticeship is not theory. It is a practical programme, and the practical nature requires apprentices to attend on site to be able to access equipment and to demonstrate their competency at practical tasks. As such, the Government has prioritised craft apprentices for a return to face-to-face learning. A phased return has been allowed since April, so that is the good news. They are now back as part of a phased return.

Simply returning to current Covid levels of delivery or, indeed, to pre-Covid levels will not be enough, for all the reasons the Deputy outlined. I have taken some immediate actions to support the expansion of the craft apprenticeship training infrastructure. I am delighted to inform the House that I have secured €20 million in additional capital expenditure, which I have allocated to SOLAS and the HEA to facilitate an additional 4,000 craft apprenticeship places across the system to deal with the backlog and the concern voiced by the Deputy. This is in addition to the €12 million which has already been allocated to support additional classes and to put in place additional teaching capacity to ameliorate the Covid-19 measures. SOLAS and the HEA are working intensively with the education and training providers to identify additional solutions to address the backlog for the off-the-job element. The Government will not be found wanting in providing any resources that are required to help in this. I am satisfied that with the extra €20 million and the fact that apprentices are now back in the practical classes, we will eat into this backlog in the coming months and get on with the delivery of the action plan on apprenticeships.

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