Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

How many of those in these figures are actually finishing? There are 3,376 who failed to finish because they are not getting paid enough. The programme for Government states that the Government would "Ensure a skilled labour force by providing practical support for on-the-job training and apprenticeship schemes and consider additional measures". Has that process begun? At what stage is the process and what additional measures are currently under consideration? The Government also promised additional funding for apprenticeship training institutions. Will the Minister tell us how much funding is being allocated and when it will be available? The programme for Government further commits to target 12,500 new apprenticeships annually by 2030 and to introduce a new five-year apprenticeship action programme for 2026 to 2030. Has that commenced? Will the Minister outline the specific target numbers for each of the intervening years?

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