Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. A key objective of the action plan for apprenticeships for 2021 to 2025 is to ensure that the apprenticeship system will increase its contribution to meeting Ireland's skills and human capital requirements by delivering on a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum by 2025. At the end of June, there had been 3,057 apprentice registrations, made up of 2,667 craft and 390 consortia-led registrations.

In 2021, a record 8,607 new apprentices were registered in the apprenticeship system. This was an increase of nearly 40% compared to 2019, which was the last normal year of operations prior to the pandemic. There were a total of 5,326 registrations in 2020, with registrations severely impacted by the pandemic and the shutdown of education and training facilities.

The bulk of apprenticeship take-up for craft apprentices in recent years has been focused on the construction sector, with electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery being the most popular craft programmes in terms of registrations.

So far this year, the software developer associate and accounting technician programmes have seen the highest registrations for consortia-led apprenticeships. The bar manager apprenticeship, officially launched in May this year, has also seen very strong engagement with 38 apprentices registered. This level of take-up is particularly welcome given skills shortages in hospitality.

SOLAS has advised that apprentice registrations are recorded by the employer in each education and training board, ETB, region rather than on a county basis. Last year, the highest number of apprentice registrations were to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB, Cork ETB and Louth-Meath ETB. A full table of the registration figures by programme and by ETB region for the period 2020 to 2022 to date is being prepared and will be sent separately to the Deputy as soon as possible.

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