Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In 2021, a record 8,607 new apprentices were registered in the apprenticeship system. This is an increase of over 38% in comparison to 2020. In the Construction Sector, registrations grew 38% from 4,377 in 2020 to 7,095 in 2021.

Partly attributing to the success of the growth in apprenticeships is the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme. The Scheme was established to ensure that apprenticeship plays a key part in supporting economic recovery following COVID-19. It was introduced in March 2020 and supported a significant recovery of registrations throughout the COVID-19 period, enabling registrations in 2021 to exceed registrations for 2019 and 2020.

Under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025, a key priority is to increase apprenticeship registrations to 10,000 new apprenticeship registrations per annum by 2025. Under that Plan, we have this year introduced an employer grant of €2,000 for employers of apprentices on consortia-led programmes to help level up the supports which other categories of employers receive

This will be supplemented by further practical measures to support the employment of apprentices in SMEs, and to support the employment of underrepresented groups in apprenticeship and the delivery of skills essential to the economy. Initial activity in this area will be the extension of the existing bursary for employers of female craft apprentices to all apprenticeships with over 80% representation of a single gender.

The employer grant and these other initiatives have the potential to play a very important role in securing engagement with employers in addressing barriers to participation in the apprenticeship system.

Whilst the actions contained in the Action Planhave helped the overall increase in registrations, increases in construction-related apprenticeships registrations can be attributed to the ongoing growth in activity in that sector. Apprenticeships, as identified under Housing for All, EGFSN reports Building Future Skillsand Skills for the Zero CarbonEconomy, the Climate Action Plan 2021, and other relevant skills reports, will remain a key means of ensuring that the targets outlined for housing, climate change mitigation and other key social and economic activities can be reached.