Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1132. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the breakdown on a percentage basis of the prior educational attainment of apprentices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14928/21]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1133. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of apprentices who secure their apprenticeship through personal connections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14929/21]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1136. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average age of new apprentices since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14932/21]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1132, 1133 and 1136 together.

As part of an extensive consultation process to inform the new Action Plan for Apprenticeship feedback was gathered from the 3,750 apprentices who answered a survey on their experience of the system. In accessing apprenticeship programmes, by far the majority (69%) of respondents accessed their apprenticeship through friends and family.

The data requested in relation to the age of new apprentices and the prior educational attainment of apprentices is set out in the attached tabular statements.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1134. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if companies are entitled to access the apprenticeship incentivisation payment in cases in which the apprentice at the time of registration was already an employee of the company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14930/21]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1135. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number and percentage of companies registering apprentices that also accessed the incentive payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14931/21]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1169. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost in 2021 of increasing the apprenticeship incentivisation scheme in line with that which is offered in Northern Ireland (details supplied); the effect it would have on the average cost per apprentice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15762/21]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1134, 1135 and 1169 together.

The Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme (AIS) was introduced in July 2020 and provides an employer grant totalling €3,000 per new apprentice registration between the period 01 March 2020 and 30 June 2021. This comprises an initial €2,000 payment on registration followed by a further €1,000 payment after the first year's employment where that apprentice is retained.

Under the Apprenticeship Recruitment Incentive in Northern Ireland which was introduced in December 2020, the employer is eligible for £3,000 for each new apprenticeship opportunity created from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.  The first £2,000 is paid after 90 days following the start of new paid apprenticeship which is followed by a further £1,000 after 200 days retention.  The programme is also available to employers of apprentices who were made redundant and subsequently employed by another employer.

The first payment in the Republic of Ireland is not subject to the 90 day waiting period and the second payment is after one year, rather than the 200 days in the Northern Ireland scheme.  The cost of providing an equivalent cross-border rate would be in the region of €3,450 per apprentice - an increase of €450 per apprentice or an estimated increase totalling €1m for apprentices registered in the first six months of 2021 with a further 500k payable in 2022.

The AIS is payable for new apprentice registrations.  As such, employers are able to access the AIS payment for existing employees who commence an apprenticeship. 

5193 apprentices have been registered since the introduction of the incentive in March 2020.  As of 3rd March 2021, claims had been submitted by 1,941 employers in respect of 64% of these registrations.  Payments totalling €3.82m have been made in respect of 1909 (37%) of these.