James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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351. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will address the large backlog on the waiting list for SOLAS; the steps that are being taken to alleviate this backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18969/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The waiting list for craft apprenticeship off-the-job training has resulted from the adverse impact of COVID public health restrictions on the operation of the education and training sector.

In responding to these restrictions it has been a priority to seek to facilitate, whenever possible, access to onsite teaching and learning for essential skills-based activities such as apprenticeship.

A detailed and comprehensive emergency plan to tackle the apprentice waiting lists has been underway across further and higher education since August 2021 when some training facilities started to reopen. At that point 11,859 apprentices were delayed in their training.

A €20m additional capital investment has provided a large increase in workshops and equipment in every training location in the country. A further €17m was provided under Budget 2022 to further facilitate SOLAS and the HEA’s response, including a significant recruitment campaign to increase the number of trainers.

More than 8,400 apprentices, or over 70% of those who were delayed in their training by COVID, have now progressed in their off-the-job phases. This includes over 700 final year apprentices who have been fast-tracked to complete their qualification. There has been an increase of over 50% in the number of training places available, via additional workshops and 100+ additional staff.

The number of craft apprentices waiting as of the week beginning 28/03/2022 was 8,134.

My Department, SOLAS, and other apprenticeship partners are continuing to work actively on further measures to ensure that waiting times are resolved as speedily as possible, enabling apprentices to progress through their apprenticeship as quickly as is feasible.