Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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156. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has considered an increase to apprenticeship rates given the rising cost of living. [25373/22]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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Apprentices are primarily employees and all of the 65 available apprenticeships are undertaken under a contract of employment. For the majority of apprenticeships, the rate of pay is agreed between the apprentice and the employer with the employer paying the apprentice during both on-the-job and off-the-job training elements of the apprenticeship.

For the 25 craft apprenticeship programmes, the minimum rates of pay applying under the employment contract are either agreed within the relevant sector, or are set out in legally binding Sectoral Employment Orders recommended by the Labour Court. These minimum rates vary between occupations and sectors but in all cases craft apprenticeship rates are expressed as a proportion of the qualified rate, increasing yearly from 33% of the qualified rate in year one to 90% in year four.

Periods of off-the-job training are funded from the National Training Fund with payments of the agreed rate made directly to craft apprentices by the education and training boards during this time.

Training allowances for apprentices are calculated with reference to gross-wage norms payable in industry for the different trade sectors. The actual allowance received will generally be less as it is based on the net take home pay calculated based on the gross wage norm. The gross-wage norm is per week and the norm to be used will be determined by the industry in which the employer is engaged.

On that basis any review of those rates currently payable is a matter for negotiation and agreement under the appropriate industrial relations structures in place and it would not be appropriate for me to be involved in the determination of apprenticeship pay or training rates.

The training allowance is calculated as follows:

Weekly gross-wage norm for industry sector €XXX

Less amount equivalent to the PAYE employee

PRSI and income levy €XXX (The PAYE deduction is calculated using a single person’s allowance and credits under the PAYE system)

= Net weekly training allowance €XXX

While attending off-the-job training, apprentices are paid a training allowance appropriate to their training phase. Apprentices are not penalised on their training allowances for operational issues that may arise. In circumstances where there has been a delay by SOLAS due to lack of available provision in the offer of a training place the apprentice may be entitled to payment of one phase rate higher e.g. on Phase 2 such apprentices may be paid the Phase 4 rate. On Phase 4 the apprentice may be paid the Phase 6 rate and on Phase 6 apprentices may be paid the fourth year rate. Apprentices may only be paid one phase rate higher than applicable.

In addition to training allowances, craft apprentices attending phases of off-the-job training in an Education and Training Board (ETB) training centre, Institute of Technology or a Technological University are entitled to make an application for either travel or accommodation allowances for the duration of the period of off-the-job training

As employees eligible apprentices are also entitled to access general employment supports through the social welfare system.