Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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120. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the expenditure under the national training fund divided between funding allocated to those in employment and funding for those unemployed on an annual basis over the period 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017 in tabular form; the percentage breakdown of the same funding between training for those currently in employment and those unemployed; the number of participants under this programme annually according to this same breakdown; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19034/17]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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121. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount collected from the national training levy in each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017; if he will provide a breakdown of the use of this funding by types of course or programme, apprenticeship, traineeship, further education, third level, research and so on; the purpose of the fund; the evolution of its use over the past number of years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19035/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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The National Training Fund (NTF) was established by the National Training Fund Act, 2000 to raise the skills of those in employment, provide training to those who wish to acquire skills for the purposes of taking up employment, and provide information in relation to existing, or likely future, requirements for skills in the economy.

In May 2010, responsibility for the NTF was transferred from the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation to the Minister for Education and Skills.

There has been a shift recently in the focus of investment with more funding allocated to training those in employment and less allocated to training jobseekers, due to the upturn in our economy and growing numbers of people in employment.

I am reviewing the allocation of funding to programmes in the Further Education and Training and Higher Education sectors as between NTF and Exchequer sources in terms both of the appropriate emphasis required on training for employment and training persons in employment and of satisfying the needs of enterprise to meet strategic skills requirements.

The following table outlines the income and expenditure of the NTF during the period 2011 – 2016 and the estimated income and expenditure for 2017.

The information on participants is not readily available. My Department will collate this information and forwarded it directly to the Deputy. 

NATIONAL TRAINING FUND: Income and Expenditure 2011-2017

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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122. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total expenditure on apprenticeship training; the number of male and female apprentices in training by each employment sector and sub sector in each of the years 2010 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19036/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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The requested information is contained at this link:

The table below provides an overview of the craft apprenticeship programme costs from 2010 - 2016

Table:Apprenticeship Costs/Funded

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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123. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of apprentices, including traineeships, projected to be in training by employment sector and subsector, in each of the years 2017 to 2020 in tabular form; the budget allocation in 2017 for State funded apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19037/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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The data requested by the Deputy is set out in the following tables.

At this stage, it is not possible to give an accurate breakdown of the forecast population in new apprenticeships on a sectorial basis. The Apprenticeship Council is continuing to work with consortia in developing a wide variety of proposals in various sectors of the economy made through the first call for proposals. In addition, the Council will issue a new call for proposals in 2017 which, when proposals are received, will also shape the sectorial breakdown of these new apprenticeships. The recently published Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeships and Traineeships sets out annual target registrations for the period to 2020. A forecast population for new apprenticeships is set out on Table 2 based on these forecast registrations and an average duration of programmes. A clearer picture with regard to the population of new apprenticeships will only become evident when these programmes are operational for a number of years and accurate statistical data can be interrogated to produce a formal forecasting tool.

SOLAS do not yet have projected numbers in traineeship by employment sector for 2017. Set out in Table 3 is forecast enrolments for traineeships for the period 2017 to 2020 as set out in the action plan.

The 2017 budget allocation for apprenticeships is €98.7m.

Table 1 - Craft Apprenticeships Populationby Industrial Sector

Table 2 – Forecast population for new apprenticeships

Table 3 - Forecast enrolments for traineeships