Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to have the opportunity to attend Seanad Éireann at the request of my colleague, Senator Murphy, to address the important issue he has brought to our attention.

Under Housing for All, there are many initiatives under way to promote and encourage people to take up careers in construction and retrofitting. The Senator is correct that we need an awful lot more people working in this area. I have a report that suggests we need about 50,000 more people working in construction and green skills by 2030 to ensure we reach our climate targets as well as our housing targets under Housing for All. There are several initiative under way to help with that. These include changes to the CAO website to highlight and promote apprenticeships and traineeships so that students do not see university as the only path after school and see instead that there are other pathways. Retrofit training centres are being opened across the country. There is a major focus on apprenticeships, including providing a financial incentive to any employer who takes on an apprentice to make it easier for businesses, particularly small and medium businesses, to get involved.

The Senator made the point that there is a gap and, more important, that he has heard from the industry and people on the ground that there is a gap. It is important, therefore, that the education and training sector responds proactively. The Senator highlighted the issue of construction machinery as a particular area. I could not agree more that the tie-in with industry is very important. As a result of this debate, I will be happy to facilitate a meeting between any stakeholders the Senator has come across in his work and SOLAS to tease out these issues and see what can be rolled out.

By way of some detail, the establishment of courses designed to recruit and activate those out of work is hugely important in achieving our overall housing and climate targets. The QQI level 3 construction skills programme referred to by the Senator is currently running in St. Andrew's Resource Centre in Dublin Port in partnership with SOLAS and the National Construction Training Campus in Mount Lucas, which operates under Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board. I recently visited the centre. The course is three weeks long and covers a comprehensive range of skills for those taking part. It is free to all participants and requires no entry qualifications at all. Specifically, the course is a local outreach project aimed at those who may be unemployed and vulnerable persons. The programme includes practical skills in a range of areas - these are the core skills sought by employers - and acts as the first step on a pathway to a successful career in construction and retrofitting for participants. There are, on average, ten participants per course. The first two intakes were in November last year and a further 30 intakes are planned for this year.

Once participants complete the course, the centre links in with employers and engages approximately 60 to 65% of the participants with employers who have suitable jobs. As of December last year, the completion rate for the course was 90% and around 60% of participants have gained employment in the construction sector. Clearly, we know these programmes work. The Senator is asking if they can be spread out around the country in order that local industry and local people can access them and work better.I am very sympathetic to that argument.

I should tell the Senator because I think it is important that, following the success of the programme, all education and training boards, ETBs, in all parts of Ireland are currently validated to deliver the programme. That is good news and the programme is currently scheduled for delivery in some further ETBs at the end of this quarter and in the quarter between now and the summer. The programme is fully funded by SOLAS as a specific skills training programme. Perhaps the best thing we can do as a result of this discussion is arrange for individuals from the Senator's locality to meet SOLAS and the ETB. I am happy for my office to facilitate such a meeting to tease through how his community and region can benefit from this. I could not agree more that tying in with local industry is key, as is making sure that courses are available for local people in their communities so that they do not have to travel or trek around the place to access them. I thank the Senator for raising this matter.