Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Strong demand for craft apprenticeships, which is a good thing, reflecting a very buoyant construction sector, has resulted in a 25% increase in craft apprenticeship registrations since 2019.

My Department is overseeing the implementation of a plan put in place by the National Apprenticeship Office which has, to date, nearly halved the number of craft apprentices waiting more than six months for their phase 2 off-the-job training, from 5,319 in October 2023 to 2,976 in April 2024. Craft apprenticeships take 48 months to complete. As part of the plan, the NAO has put a renewed focus on speeding up delivery of two of the 25 craft programmes, pipefitting and electrical instrumentation, that are currently taking significantly more than 48 months to complete, impacting 279 apprentices waiting for training.

Significant resources are being invested to further increase the capacity of the apprenticeship programme system. Some €67 million was allocated in budget 2024, bringing total investment in the area to €298 million. Some €17 million in capital investment was made in 2023 to expand provision in current facilities and develop new facilities as well as for equipment. The NAO is leading a national recruitment campaign which has resulted in 58 new instructor posts so far, with more to be advertised when capital projects come on stream. In addition, more than 80 instructor posts have been converted from fixed-term to permanent to help support retention. ETBs have been mandated by SOLAS to commence three apprenticeship intakes per workshop per year to support the delivery plan of the NAO.

As a direct result of these actions, apprenticeship delivery capacity in the ETBs has grown substantially, from 5,613 in 2023 to 7,545 in 2024, a 34% increase. It is my priority to maintain that momentum, continue growing the apprenticeship system and ensure there are enough training places for current and future skills needs.

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