Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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83. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline his plans to increase the throughput of apprentices in the ETB system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25328/23]

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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This question in some senses leads on from the previous discussion that we had earlier ion student accommodation and housing. We are all aware that as a result of the financial crash a way fewer apprentices were coming through the system. We are also aware of the backlog as a result of Covid. Could the Minister outline the plans he has to increase the throughput of apprentices?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy and I acknowledge her support for the work that we are all trying to achieve in terms of apprenticeships, and the huge potential that there is to expand the apprenticeship offering in Ireland. We now have 67 apprenticeship programmes. We also want to put it up in lights as another way of getting a qualification after school; getting a good well-paid job and trying to address the skills needs that we have in this country particularly around construction, housing, climate and the green economy.

ETBs play a pivotal role in the apprenticeship system and we recognise their importance, because they continue to be at the heart of the delivery model. In 2023, additional funding of €13 million was provided to support up to 5,000 additional training places across further and higher education and, as a result, almost 9,000 registrations are forecast for 2023. This is quite significant: if we can hit the 9,000, it will be the highest number ever of registered apprentices in Ireland. Some 6,500 of these places will be on the craft programmes. This again underlines the critical role of ETBs as key providers of apprenticeship training and craft training in particular.

Research published last December shows that 30,000 additional craft apprentices are required by 2030 to help achieve the goals under Housing for All, climate action and retrofitting. The apprenticeship growth being funded this year closely involves ETBs in delivering these goals.

In addition, significant work is under way to address the backlog in craft apprenticeships accessing off-the-job training, which built up during the pandemic. The majority of these apprentices are waiting to access phase 2 training, which occurs in ETB centres. SOLAS has worked with ETBs to increase training capacity via capital developments: having to physically expand workshops; additional instructors and innovative delivery models. They have made significant progress in reducing waiting times. I thank the instructors and staff in the ETBs. They genuinely went above and beyond and I am not sure that we fully appreciate how much they did to help us with additional sessions and the likes to get through that.

Progress does continue to be made as additional capacity comes on stream. It is expected that the phase 2 backlog will be brought in line with normal waiting periods by the end of 2023 and, therefore, the Covid lag should be gone by the end of the year. I am confident that the strong growth in apprenticeships will continue to be achieved in line with our overall objectives.

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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That is quite interesting. I think we are all aware of the important role that people who are going through apprenticeships will play and are playing in the future of our society, especially when tackling the infrastructural deficit we have, and the acute housing shortage. It is very important that we get the message out about how positive these jobs are and the availability of them. What does the Minister think is the biggest barrier to us increasing the throughput of apprenticeships and dealing with the backlog? I am aware of the additional instructors that have been hired, whom I understand have been made permanent, since Covid to ensure there is a third input. I am also aware of some of the new capacity that the Minister will be bringing on stream as well. I am contacted a lot by people, especially in electrical apprenticeships, who are concerned because they feel their lives are on hold as a result of waiting for their placements to come through. What does the Minister think the biggest barriers are and how can we address them? Do we need to increase the input of instructors?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We do. I again acknowledge the role of the instructors, as the Deputy has done. We are working in a sector where there is a real passion from people doing their job.

They stepped up and did a hell of a lot more than anyone could have asked of them and I acknowledge that today. Yes, we need to continue to expand the size of the workforce. If the Deputy is asking what I think the two biggest constraints are, truthfully, a big part of it is how we financially support our apprentices, for the reasons the Deputy stated. When apprentices qualify, they generally go on to well-paid jobs but it can be difficult during the period of the apprenticeship. I want to look at it and I am happy to work with the Deputy between now and the Estimates process to see how we can better financially support apprentices. The second constraint is physical capacity. I acknowledge that the number of instructors must continue to grow. For example, we have funding this year to develop two large training hubs dedicated to electrical training. Electrical, plumbing and carpentry programmes are being expanded. New electrical workshops are being developed with Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board. There is a new training facility in Donegal. There is a call for additional phase 2 capacity in craft programmes such as carpentry, plumbing and refrigeration and we are expanding the number of electrical apprenticeships in ATU, Donegal and Munster Technological University, Kerry. Due to the growth, which is a good thing, as a result of all the focus on apprenticeships and the fact that more people than ever before are now coming forward, physical capacity and financial supports for apprentices are my two priorities.

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister. That is interesting. I will do a bit more research on the financial support of apprentices. On the capacity issue, I have spoken to as many people as possible since taking on this role. From what I understand, some capacity is not being used. Perhaps the Minister could investigate that. Sometimes it is necessary to pop into the centres and seeing for oneself whether capacity is available. People tell me capacity is available and is not being used. It is definitely worth looking at.

The Minister stated that bringing on more instructors is not the key issue at this point, but it is also something we need to look at. We are trying to get people to move into this from quite well-paid jobs. It involves a significant pay cut so that is something that needs to be looked at. Especially as people are getting older, if they are still working on building sites, they probably would not mind that move. On the different types of apprenticeships that need to be considered, such as modern methods of construction and offshore wind, what kind of apprenticeships are available for offshore wind? I know we have some for onshore wind. What plans are there for apprenticeships in the future?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I will definitely look into the issue of unused capacity. I would be pleased if the Deputy wants to share any details with me. I want to be clear. There will be a need for more instructors but we will also have to physically expand the capacity of the workshops alongside that.

The Deputy's question about new types of apprenticeship is key because of the jobs of the future. We have mechanics and that is important, but more and more people are driving electric vehicles, EVs. The curriculum has been updated so that anyone doing a mechanic apprenticeship now is being trained on how to service an electric vehicle. When they lift the bonnet of an EV, it is different from what they are used to looking at. We are looking at opening a centre of excellence for EV training in the midlands, for example. That is one of the key priorities.

On offshore wind, we have developed the first wind turbine maintenance apprenticeship in Kerry, recognising that there will be jobs in offshore wind and we must be able to provide the people to do them. I want people in the public and private sectors to know this. Our door is not only open; we are actively inviting people in to talk to the new National Apprenticeship Office. It takes an industry to come forward and say it needs an apprenticeship programme to be developed. It must partner with the education sector and bring forward a proposal. Some 67 programmes have been approved and many more will come on stream between now and the end of the year - probably the best part of a dozen more.