Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to focus on the issue of delays to craft apprenticeships, such as plumbing and electrical apprenticeships, throughout the country. The Government recently announced an ambitious Housing for All plan, but its success is predicated, among other things, on being able to attract new construction workers. Around 27,000 are required, according to some estimates. On top of that, the Taoiseach's colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan, has stated that we need 27,000 new construction workers to carry out retrofitting across the State. Where are they all going to come from?

At the moment, 3,500 apprenticeships are delayed because of backlogs caused by Covid. I do not doubt the difficulties Covid caused for the vocational side of the training they do in education and training boards, ETBs, and colleges across the State. However, I do not believe that difficulties are a sufficient excuse. We need these workers to be trained and to enter the workforce. We also need to ensure they realise how valued they are, because 5,500 trainees left apprenticeships over the past five years. I do not know why this happened. I am not saying all of it was because of delays or even any of it was necessarily because of delays. However, I know many of my young constituents in County Clare are very frustrated by the delays because they cannot move on to the next level, which has repercussions for how much they can earn, when they are going to earn properly and, they hope, get a house and support a family.

SOLAS announced funding recently and stated that the backlog would be cleared. What does it mean that the backlog will be cleared? Does it mean the backlog of getting new apprentices into the system will be cleared? Currently, there are apprentices who started a four-year apprenticeship and are now being told it will take them six years to complete it. Medical, dental or other students across the State are not being told that instead of their degrees taking four years, they will now take six years, nor should they be. Apprentices should not be treated any differently. The State should do whatever it takes to ensure these apprentices get the training they signed up for in full and on time so that they can enter the workforce. That is, of course, if the Housing for All plan is to actually take off. There are many other problems. Construction materials are costing a lot of money and very little is being done in terms of granting felling licences to get timber in. However, I wish to focus on apprenticeships today. What is the Government going to do on apprenticeships? Will it provide a guarantee to existing apprentices and those who are hoping to start apprenticeships that they will finish their apprenticeships on time and the ETBs and colleges will be providing the training that is an essential part of their apprenticeship to enable them to finish on time?

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