Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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1221. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will re-introduce the CERT Course for Apprentice Training for the Hospitality Industry, and locate the new training centre in Killarney, County Kerry where the centre was formerly based; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30914/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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CERT was a training organisation specifically for the hospitality sector. There are no plans to re-establish a dedicated training organisation for the sector but rather to deliver the required education and training through the mainstream higher and further education and training sectors. The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs will shortly be publishing an analysis of current and future skills requirements in the sector and this will assist in planning education and training provision throughout the country in this area.

Specifically on apprenticeship, the Apprenticeship Council was established in early 2014 and its first task was to formally invite proposals for new apprenticeship programmes from consortia of enterprise, professional bodies and education and training providers. Over 80 separate proposals were received all of which were evaluated by the Council. Following the evaluation process, the Council assigned Category 1 status to 25 new programmes at the end of July, meaning they are both sustainable and ready to enter a detailed planning and development stage.

These include proposals in the hospitality sector, particularly in the culinary area. IT Tralee are associated with a number of these, as are the Irish Hotels Federation and the Restaurants Association of Ireland. As the hospitality industry is an important employer throughout the country, any new apprenticeships will have to be available for delivery nationwide. The details of delivery will form part of the planning process for the new apprenticeships, which the Apprenticeship Council is progressing with the proposers.