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

I am glad to inform the Deputy that procedures have been put in place by SOLAS allowing for apprentices resident in the Republic to be employed outside the State, including in the North. The Department has been advised by SOLAS that the conditions are that the relevant employer is approved and registered to train apprentices and complies with specific taxation and company registration requirements, along with the appointment of a company representative to have overall responsibility for training the apprentices. I will provide full details separately to the Deputy of the conditions that must be met under these procedures. It is a matter for the employer of the person to whom the question relates to ascertain whether they meet these requirements, which would allow the apprenticeship to proceed in these circumstances.

We already have an all-Ireland apprenticeship programme, the accounting technician apprenticeship, with a second programme for accounting technologists in development. These are at levels 6 and 8, respectively, on the national framework of qualifications. This was a key commitment under the action plan for apprenticeship that we are glad to be able to deliver in partnership with the programme’s consortium.

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