Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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151. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being implemented to address a skills shortage in construction employment opportunities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14550/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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The education system at all levels has established a number of strategies to meet the existing and future skills demands in the workplace, including the National Skills Strategy 2025, the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019. 

The National Skills Strategy 2025 and the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 provide for the establishment of the National Skills Council (NSC) as a key element of a new national skills architecture. The Council, when established shortly, will oversee research and provide advice on the prioritisation of identified skills needs and how to secure the delivery of identified needs.

As part of this new skills architecture, nine Regional Skills Fora were established in 2016 with a view to providing an opportunity for employers and the education and training system to work together to identify and meet the existing and emerging skills needs of their regions. Employers in the construction sector are represented on many of the Fora.

The apprenticeship system is a major supplier of craft skills to the construction sector. Following a number of years of decline, registrations in the 27 existing apprenticeship trades are rising as the employment and economic situation improves. As economic activity in the relevant sectors continues to strengthen, registrations are forecast to continue to increase in these trades in the coming years. SOLAS forecast that registrations will increase to 3,390 in 2016, 4,219 in 2017 and 5,089 in 2018. Both the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 and the National Skills Strategy 2025 contain specific measures in relation to the apprenticeship system.

Further Education and Training providers deliver a range of specific skills programmes for the construction sector outside of the apprenticeship system. SOLAS are engaging with the Education and Training Boards to continue to expand provision in identified areas of skills needs.

A broad range of courses are also available in the area of construction and the built environment in the Higher Education sector. There were 56 construction related courses offered to full-time level 8 (honours bachelor degree) students in 2015/16 and 46 at levels 6 and 7 (undergraduate ordinary degree and certificate enrolments). In total 10% of all HEA-funded higher education graduates in 2015 were from the “Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction” disciplines.

Construction-related courses have also featured in the Springboard+ programme, which funds short form higher education courses primarily for unemployed people. In 2016, a total of 246 construction-related places were approved.