Written answers

Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Department of Education and Skills

Apprenticeship Programmes

Photo of Pat BreenPat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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277. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to introduce an apprentice student service charge; the implications that the introduction of such a charge would have for the aircraft maintenance industry at Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3995/14]

Photo of Ciarán CannonCiarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The Annual Student Contribution is levied on apprentices and students attending Institutes of Technology. This contribution has been levied by Institutes of Technology in respect of apprentices since 2004, with FÁS/SOLAS paying 70% of the contribution and apprentices themselves paying the remainder. As part of Budget 2014, SOLAS will cease making this payment to the Institutes of Technology and apprentices themselves will pay the full pro rata Annual Student Contribution.

Apprentices will pay the same contribution as students, apportioned for the time they spend in the Institutes. Unlike students, apprentices are paid a training allowances by SOLAS for phases of their training spent in Institutes of Technology. This allowance is equivalent to the wages they receive from their employers for on the job phases and is unaffected by the budgetary changes. Although apprentices are not eligible to receive student grants, the value of their training allowance would be greater than the maintenance available under the student grant scheme.

This decision was taken against a difficult budgetary background and there is no scope to re-visit it. There is no extra charge being levied on employers and I am confident that apprentices, who are in receipt of allowances and have invested time and effort to reach phase 4 and 6 of their apprenticeships, will see the value of the programme they are on and remain to completion.

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