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

The number of apprentices in Ireland has grown significantly, from 17,800 in 2019 to over 27,000 today. However, our priority, consistent with the Deputy's question, is to make apprenticeships attractive for even more young people, given our skills and workforce needs under priority Government strategies.

The Department's Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 aims to promote apprenticeship as a route to valuable qualifications and high-quality jobs and careers. The National Apprenticeship Office is continuing to work with the Institute of Irish Guidance Counsellors to promote and increase awareness of apprenticeship in schools and with parents. World Skills Ireland, sponsored by the Department, is promoting skills-based careers and apprenticeship to over 30,000 second-level students from across the country.

The National Apprenticeship Office's, Facts, Faces, Futures, campaign highlighted the skills, talent and contributions made by female apprentices across Ireland. The Department developed and launched the careers in construction action plan in August 2023, including the Building Heroes peer-to-peer social media campaign to change perceptions of careers in construction, and a documentary of a day in the life of construction apprentices will be distributed to second-level schools across the country.

Apprenticeship scheduling is carried out on a national basis by co-ordinating providers and all efforts are made to schedule apprentices to their nearest available training location. If this is not possible, they will be called to the next nearest available location.

Apprentices are in full-time employment. Employers commit to release the apprentice for off-the-job training either on block or day release. As such, no evening provision is catered for in those circumstances.

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