Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

157. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to expand the number of apprenticeships available in the trades; if she will consider offering a basic welding course separate from the inclusion of coding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38526/14]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

By its nature, the Irish Apprenticeship system is employer-led and the number of apprenticeship registrations is dictated by the numbers taken on by approved employers in the first instance. However, following on from the Apprenticeship Review an Apprenticeship Implementation Plan was published in June 2014. As part of this plan a new Apprenticeship Council is in the process of being established. The Council will be enterprise led and will have representatives from business, trade unions, as well as further and higher education bodies. The first job of work of the new Apprenticeship Council will be to develop a call for proposals from industry for new apprenticeships. Alongside this work, the curricula for current apprenticeships will continue to be reviewed under existing structures.

Furthermore, in addition to the SOLAS Further Education and Training Strategy 2014-2019, SOLAS has published the first ever integrated Further Education and Training Services Plan for 2014. The plan provides information on the range of further education and training funded by the Irish Government and it sets out in detail how the State's investment in 2014 will be used by SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards to meet the skills needs of learners and employers. The plan is available on the SOLAS website, www.solas.ie. The process to develop the 2015 services plan will begin shortly and each Education and Training Board will develop proposals to SOLAS on its planned training programmes based on local skills demands, patterns of unemployment, overall demand for programmes and the resources available. The process is also informed by skills demand forecasts produced at a national level.