David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

33. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his Department's role in encouraging apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11960/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In its submission to the Apprenticeship Review in 2013, this Department identified the need for apprenticeships that better reflected the changing occupational needs brought about by advances in technology and productivity in modern manufacturing and service occupations.

The focus of this Department has been on advocating for a wide range of enterprise-led apprenticeships to meet the needs of enterprises and to equip individuals for the current or future job opportunities across the economy in areas such as manufacturing technician, manufacturing machine operators, practical engineering apprentice, polymer technologists, tool-making, customer support, transport/logistics, supply chain management, IT user and application roles, hospitality and healthcare.

Key to these apprenticeships is developing a curriculum for the relevant occupations that reflects the tasks needed to be performed in the modern workplace with the length, breadth and depth of technical coverage and work-based practical experience to ensure qualifications and learning outcomes are achieved leading to full awards on our National Framework of Qualifications. It is vital that apprenticeships encompass an access path for those who wish to enter it from different educational attainment levels including accelerated entry routes recognising prior experience.

Career progression for those engaging in apprenticeships is important so that it provides for well-structured and mapped progression routes to higher levels of technical skills, supervisory and management roles operating seamlessly between second level, further and higher education and on the job training. The new apprenticeships should be seen by school leavers as a valuable flexible work based training programme leading to a range of recognised valuable careers in services, and manufacturing occupations.

This Department has undertaken a number of initiatives around raising awareness of the recent Apprenticeship call in its day-to day dealings with businesses specifically, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland client companies. The new apprenticeship scheme is being actively marketed to informing them of specific sectoral trade associations with whom they might collaborate in an apprenticeship submission, e.g. Food and Drink, Financial Services, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, Engineering and ICT.

Both I and Minister English have taken every opportunity to raise awareness of the apprenticeship call at various engagements since it issued in January.

Minister English recently met with Freight Transport, distribution and logistics representative bodies and further and higher education providers in that sector to draw their attention to the possibilities that the apprenticeship might provide for them to address the specific skills gaps identified in the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs report for the sector which he launched in February.

Minister Nash, at the Retail Consultation Forum, also highlighted the opportunities for that sector by collaborating in a submission.

Department executives actively promoted the apprenticeship call at a series of workshops with the hospitality sector in the course of their work on the skills requirements for that sector.