Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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122. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there has been a noticeable difference in CAO applications given that the new format includes all options available to school leavers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6116/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A key goal for my Department is to enhance the visibility of further education and training (FET) and apprenticeship options for school leavers. To facilitate this, information has been included on the CAO website regarding further education and apprenticeships. However the application processes for higher education, further education and apprenticeships remain separate.

Applications for higher education are processed directly by the CAO, as in previous years. As of February 1^st, 78,162 applicants had submitted an application. This is down slightly on the figure from the 79,303 at this time last year.

Within the FET sector, a central portal has been developed to enable learners to apply for their chosen courses, which have been updated in terms of course naming conventions and learner requirements. This is being managed through FETCH / PLSS (which is a central application system for FET courses delivered through Education and Training Boards throughout the country).? Technical experts from SOLAS and the CAO are working together to ensure that technology developed for FET in the short-term aligns with CAO systems to enable integration over time. 720 PLC courses are included in the CAO FET 2022 project.

The further development and expansion of the CAO FET offers to include wider options will build on the experience of the 2022 application process.

For apprenticeship options, students must first be hired by an approved apprentice employer. There is a link to a dedicated page on the apprenticeship website which provides information on how to find an apprenticeship and links to available apprenticeship employment opportunities. There is also a freephone number available - 1800 794 487 for guidance on apprenticeships which is open 12pm-6pm Monday-Friday.

I am delighted to confirm that since the 5^thNovember 2021, there have been 7,923 site visits from the CAO website to fetchcourses.ie, and 14,184 site visits from the CAO website to apprenticeship.ie.