Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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11. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 912 of 4 November 2014, if she will provide further details of the nature of the review being carried out by SOLAS of the five trades of electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery, metal fabrication and heavy vehicle mechanics; if she will report on the way this could lead to improvements in the number and types of apprenticeships available in these trades; and her plans to provide a modern system of apprenticeship education to meet the needs of the Irish economy over the next decade; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45104/14]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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A SOLAS review of all designated apprenticeships is under way and aims to ensure that the programmes are up-to-date, relevant, and capable of meeting the needs of learners, the workplace and the economy.

The five trades in question will have their newly developed national standards presented to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on the 10th December 2014 for determination for placement on the National Framework of Qualifications. Following placement of the awards, the revised programmes will be validated by QQI, and implemented during 2015.

The establishment and development of new apprenticeships will be guided by the ongoing implementation of the recommendations from the recent Review of Apprenticeship in Ireland, as outlined in the implementation plan published by my Department last June. I have recently appointed a new Apprenticeship Council to manage a call for proposals from enterprise and education and training partners for the development of new apprenticeships.