Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 142: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of apprenticeship places available here; her views on whether they are adequate to the needs of the building industry and the number of young people who wish to pursue an apprenticeship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34114/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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FÁS registered apprentices attend Institutes of Technology for the 4th and 6th phases of their apprenticeship training and my Department provides funding to the Institutes to provide training places for these phases. The total number of apprentice training places increased from approximately 4,100 in 1997/1998 to around 11,100 in the 2005/2006 academic year.

Apprentice numbers and new registrations have experienced a rapid growth in the past number of years. Apprentice numbers across all 26 trades have increased from approximately 14,000 in 1997 to some 29,000 in October 2006. The largest increases have been in the construction-related trades which now account for approximately 75% of registrations.

Notwithstanding this increase in training capacity, the level of registrations in the construction trades remains high. In order to alleviate backlogs of apprentices awaiting phase 4 and 6 training in these trades, my Department has provided funding to Institutes in recent years to run additional apprentice courses during the summer months. Summer courses represent an efficient use of resources by maximising the use of existing facilities.

While funding was again available this year for summer courses, it was not possible to reach agreement with the TUI on the provision of these courses. My Department is currently engaged in consultations with the TUI with a view to providing further summer courses in 2007 in order to help alleviate backlogs in the construction trades. Apart from summer courses, my Department has also sanctioned some phased expansion that will yield additional capacity.

My Department continues to liaise with FÁS, the Institutes of Technology and other interested parties in order to ensure that national training needs are met.