Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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69. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has considered an increase to the apprentice pay rates given the rising cost of living. [36772/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Apprentices are primarily employees and all of the 65 apprenticeships are subject to a contract of employment. For the majority of apprenticeships, the rate of pay is agreed between the apprentice and the employer. 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. However, it is important to note that as employees, eligible apprentices are also entitled to access general employment supports through the social welfare system. This option is open to any employee, apprentice or not, who finds themselves in difficulty. There are allowances paid to apprentices and we are examining these in the context of the upcoming Estimates process.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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70. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the way that apprenticeship training will help meet the evolving skills needs of the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36758/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship accessible to employers and learners.  The Plan seeks to deliver on a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum, across a wide range of programmes, by 2025.

The expansion of apprenticeship across all sectors has widened the impact of apprenticeship in areas of skills shortage such as engineering, retrofitting, technology and fintech. Under the Plan there will be increased online visibility regarding apprenticeship engagement and development processes for employers/sectors who wish to assess the potential for new apprenticeships. Applications for new apprenticeship development are open on an ongoing basis, allowing employers to progress the development of programmes in response to emerging skills needs on an as-needed basis in all sectors of the economy.

Development of new apprenticeship programmes has continued despite pandemic challenges. There are currently 65 apprenticeship programmes on offer: 25 craft programmes and 40 programmes introduced since 2016. Eight new programmes were launched over 2020 and 2021: arboriculture, equipment systems engineer, healthcare assistant, principal engineer – professional doctorate, recruitment executive, sales, scaffolding and supply chain associate.

So far this year, bar manager, wind turbine maintenance technician and transport operations & commercial driving apprenticeships have been launched. Programme development has been approved for programmes in areas such as farming, horticulture, finance, manufacturing, construction, cybersecurity and ICT, with several other programmes at the initial proposal stage. A full list of apprenticeship programmes available and in development is attached.

Significant financial supports have been introduced this year under the Action Plan:

- The annual Employer Grant of €2,000 per apprentice means that, for the first time, employers of all apprentices now have access to financial support, either through direct payment of allowances to apprentices or through the grant. This will help to promote engagement with the non-craft programmes, including the development of new programmes.

- The gender-based bursary of €2,666 is available for those who employ apprentices in the minority gender on any national apprenticeship programme with greater than 80% representation of a single gender. It is an expansion of the ‘female bursary’ available to craft apprenticeship employers prior to 2022 and there are currently 42 programmes which meet the criterion.

Employer feedback during the consultation process of the Action Plan highlighted that non-financial supports were particularly important for SME employers. Recognising this, supports to be in place during 2022 include:

- The National Apprenticeship Office will link potential consortia members, education providers, and supporting consortia members and/or provide supports to build in-company training capacity.

- Sector-specific supports to be delivered through apprenticeship consortia to support SME employers.

- A development plan is to be delivered for a user-centred apprenticeship management system to simplify employer participation within and across apprenticeship

- Proposed amendments to the Industrial Training Act, 1967, included in the Higher Education Authority Bill, 2022, will widen the scope for new apprenticeship programmes in an expanded range of sectors.

The increased diversity of new apprenticeships, many of which have off-the-job training delivered through online or blended learning provides a significant opportunity for widening of access to apprenticeship for rural businesses and learners. In addition, Education and Training Boards, Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities are spread throughout the country and play a very important role in ensuring apprenticeship provision has a strong regional dimension.