Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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86. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the process for applying to increase the number of State funded apprenticeship places in an existing sector or to facilitate places in a new sector to deal with skills shortages in certain areas. [40119/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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SOLAS does not operate a capacity model in the managing of the provision of the existing craft apprenticeship programmes. Apprenticeship is a demand driven alternance training programme and the allocation of provision is determined by the level of recruitment of apprentices by approved employers.

As the Deputy is aware, the Apprenticeship Council was established in November 2014 to oversee the expansion of the apprenticeship system in Ireland into a range of new sectors of the economy. One of the Council’s first tasks was to issue a call for proposals from industry and education providers for new apprenticeships.  Over 80 proposals were received from a wide range of sectors and occupations.   The Council has been working with consortia to develop their proposals into sustainable apprenticeships that can be delivered on a nationwide basis.

To date nine new apprenticeship programmes have been developed by the Apprenticeship Council following its first call for proposals, in Insurance Practice, Industrial Electrical Engineering, Polymer Processing Technology, Manufacturing Technology, Manufacturing Engineer, Accounting Technician, Commis Chef and two programmes in International Financial Services (Associate & Specialist).

Further new apprenticeships are to be submitted for validation to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) in September and, subject to successful validation, it is expected that a further six new schemes will get underway later this year in various sectors including ICT and Haulage.

Earlier this year we published the Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship in Ireland 2016–2020 which sets out how state agencies, education and training providers and employers will work together to deliver on the Action Plan for Education commitments on the expansion of apprenticeship and traineeship in the period. One of the key commitments set out in the plan for this year was the issuing of a second call for apprenticeship proposals to refresh the pipeline of proposals already established through the first call. The second call closed on the 1st September with 77 proposals received from a wide range of occupations.  The Council is currently assessing proposals received and will report its findings in November.