Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)

SOLAS was at last week's committee meeting, when we were told nobody was overseeing that these things were happening. A percentage of apprentices said that they do not have any access to a training adviser. Some of them are afraid to complain in case they lose their apprenticeship place. Some of them are given an agreed wage through collective bargaining but are not getting that wage or are being asked to do jobs that are not relevant to their apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are an investment in the skills development of an employer's workforce and should not be a cost.

10 o’clock

The labour costs related to apprenticeships are lower than any other employment relationship, so when they are lowered again, this causes consternation among apprentices. It is not fair that they are being asked to do work that is not relevant to them and there is nobody overseeing this. We questioned SOLAS and the ETBs about this last week.

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