Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 256: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to reform the system whereby apprentices are trained and in which they need to find employment with sponsoring firms; and if in view of the current downturn and the need to prioritise skills education, he will launch an apprenticeship training programme where his Department or the Department of Education and Science will act as sponsors of last resort. [15398/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I currently have no plans to reform the apprenticeship system or to alter the present situation where apprentices are employed by sponsoring firms. The key strength of the system is that it is a demand-driven educational and training programme. It is designed to develop the knowledge, skills and competencies of apprentices and to meet the needs of industry and the labour market. FÁS has the statutory responsibility for the organisation and control of designated apprenticeship. It operates the Statutory Apprenticeship system in co-operation with the Department of Education and Science, employers and trade unions. The National Apprenticeship Advisory Committee oversees the development of the standards based process and advises the Board of FÁS on all matters pertaining to apprenticeship. This committee is made up of representatives of the social partners, the educational sector and FÁS and has responsibility for ensuring that apprenticeship curricula are up-to-date and meet the needs of industry.

The present structure of the apprenticeship system ensures that individuals, who compete the seven standard based modules, are qualified to meet the needs of industry and have operational experience, as a result of their employment by sponsoring companies. In general I see the present structure of the apprenticeship system being central to the maintenance of its high quality and relevance to industry. There are no plans at present for either my Department or the Department of Education and Science to provide parallel apprenticeship training programmes or to take on the functions of sponsoring apprentices in the different designated categories.