Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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101. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the spend on apprenticeship training and the number of apprentices in training, by employment sector, in each of the years from 2010 to 2016 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20004/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following tables.

It should be noted that the 2016 apprentice population is based on forecast figures.

Table 1

Table 2 – Active apprenticeship population by sector

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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102. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to list the category 2 and category 3 apprenticeships referred to in the 2015 Apprenticeship Council report on new apprenticeship programme proposals; when he will complete these categories and operationalise them for immediate roll-out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20005/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I understand that the Apprenticeship Council has provided feedback to category 2 and 3 consortia in relation to their proposals. Consortia engaged with the call for proposals on the basis that details would only be published of proposals approved for progression to a detailed planning stage. At this stage, I do not propose to publish details of category 2 and 3 proposals.

The Programme for Government commits to providing a total of 31,000 places by 2020 on existing and new apprenticeships. SOLAS and the Apprenticeship Council are preparing a 3 year plan to deliver on the Programme for Government commitments, which will include managing the pipeline of new apprenticeships already identified by the Apprenticeship Council, including those in categories 2 and 3 and looking at the timing and nature of new calls for proposals.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of apprentices, including traineeships projected to be in training, by employment sector, in each of the years from 2016 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20006/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The projected apprenticeship population in the existing trades for the years 2016 – 2018 is set out in the following table 1 provided by SOLAS. SOLAS do not currently have forecasts beyond 2018 but their Skills and Labour Market Research Unit will review and extend apprenticeship forecasts later this year.

In addition to forecast numbers in the existing trades, apprentices will also be registered on a range of new apprenticeships that will be developed under the auspices of the Apprenticeship Council. A number of these new apprenticeships will commence registration this year and further apprenticeships will come on stream in 2017 and future years. The Programme for Government commits to providing a total of 31,000 places by 2020 on existing and new apprenticeships. SOLAS and the Apprenticeship Council are preparing a 3 year plan to deliver on the Programme for Government commitments, which will include managing the pipeline of new apprenticeships already identified by the Apprenticeship Council and looking at the timing and nature of new calls for proposals.

Table 2 sets out the projected numbers in traineeship by employment sector in 2016. SOLAS do not currently have forecasts for participation in traineeship for the years 2017-2020.

Table 1 - Projected numbers in existing apprenticeships by industry sector 2016-2018

Table 2 - Projected numbers in traineeship by employment sector in 2016*