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

It is important to bear in mind that normal waiting times for off-the-job training range from three to six months. That needs to be factored in. At the end of January, there were 8,967 apprentices waiting for training. That included a figure of 3,817 who had waited more than six months. The numbers waiting have significantly reduced from a peak of almost 12,000 apprentices in August 2021.

The Deputy mentioned the craft backlog. In the summer of 2023, some data analysis showed a significant increase in the backlog. In response, we developed a plan to eliminate the backlog which was formed and led by the National Apprenticeship Office and overseen by the Department. The rapid implementation of the response plan meant that the backlog was reduced by the end of January 2024 to a figure of 3,817 I previously mentioned. This is made up of 3,622 phase 2, 100 phase 4 and 95 phase 6 apprentices.

See this speech in context