Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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186. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plan of action for training for apprenticeships for trades, given the urgent need for certain skills and to build houses in the next number of months and years; his views on recent developments; his plans for apprenticeship training for trades; and the funding he will allocate for training apprenticeships for trades in each of the years 2017 to 2021 in tabular form. [11665/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Following a number of years of decline, registrations in the 27 existing apprenticeship trades are rising as the employment and economic situation improves. At the end of 2014, registrations were up 40% on 2013. In 2015 there were 3,153 registrations in the existing trades which represents a further 17% increase in registrations on 2014.

SOLAS have informed me that registrations are forecast to increase to 3,390 in 2016, 4,219 in 2017 and 5,089 in 2018. SOLAS do not yet have forecasts beyond 2018 but will continue to update their forecasts based on their formal economic model. Off the job provision in the 27 existing trades is planned and funded by SOLAS and the Higher Education Authority in the light of forecast registrations.

Based on these forecast figures, SOLAS estimate that the cost of existing apprenticeship programme will be €69.9 million in 2016, €81.3 million in 2017 and €96.9 million in 2018. SOLAS cannot estimate these costs beyond 2018. It should be noted that these costs refer to the payment of allowances to apprentices during their off-the-job training and the provision costs in further education and training settings for the 27 existing trades.

In the Programme for Partnership Government we have committed to double the number of apprenticeships by 2020, together with the Apprenticeship Council, SOLAS, the ETBs and with Industry. We will target 100 different apprenticeship schemes spread across sectors of the economy and in every region of Ireland.