Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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430. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress that he is making on supported apprenticeship programmes for persons in contact with the criminal justice system and specifically for Oberstown prison and all prisons and for persons on probation supervision; the estimated number of apprenticeships that could be developed within the prison system; the steps that he is taking to enhance the roll-out of higher education within the prison system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38507/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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One of the five overarching objectives of the ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’is "Apprenticeship for All" so that the profile of the apprenticeship population more closely reflects the profile of the general population. The Plan promotes general access, diversity and inclusion in apprenticeship through targeted actions to encourage participation from under-represented groups including people with disabilities, women, ethnic minorities and those from marginalised and disadvantaged groups in general.

Targets and interventions for specific groups will be detailed through an Equity of Access subcommittee of the National Apprenticeship Alliance to ensure that the voice of under-represented groups is integral to the further development of the apprenticeship system. It is envisaged that the subcommittee will include representation from second-level, community education, youth justice programmes, broader FET provision, and higher education.

The National Apprenticeship Office will increase the visibility of underrepresented groups in apprenticeship literature and promotional material to reflect the participation and positive experience of people from all backgrounds and communities, as well as the availability of assistive supports.

Participation targets for under-represented groups, and additional specific actions to support those target groups, will be set with the Equity of Access Subcommittee and monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure that interventions supporting increased diversity within the apprentice population. Indicators are currently being developed which will enable us to best identify target groups and a response will be shaped with input from representatives of these groups.

Work on the development of the new National Access Plan: A Strategic Action Plan for Equity of Access, Participation and Success in Higher Education, 2022 – 2028 is almost complete. The consultation process was an extensive one which received 122 submissions from a wide range of stakeholders.

The consultation process highlighted the importance of recognising and naming additional ‘priority groups’, which are groups considered marginalised or disadvantaged. One such group that arose during the consultation process is students who have experience of the criminal justice system and is being considered as a named priority group in the new Plan. A Memorandum for Government will be brought to cabinet before the summer recess with the intention of publishing the new Plan in Q3.

In 2019, Maynooth University and Mountjoy Prison came together to establish Ireland’s first university-prison partnership. The MJMU Partnership aims to harness the transformative power of education to promote access to third level and support the reintegration of prisoners and former prisoners in society. Maynooth University support engagement by the University within the space of the prison through a range of educational activities and through the creation of shared learning spaces for students in prison and students in university.

Building on the work which has already been taking place between the university and Mountjoy, the partnership provides strategic direction and support for a range of new initiatives, including being the lead institution which has developed the KickStart scholarship for people with criminal convictions on a pilot basis in 2022/2023 academic year. MU is working in partnership with 3 other institutions - Dublin City University, Dundalk Institute of Technology and Technological University of the Shannon Midlands Midwest, Athlone Campus. The KickStart Scholarship Fund is an initiative established by the Irish Probation Service and supported by the Irish Prison Service. It aims to support people with a criminal justice history who face financial challenges in accessing Higher Education. This scholarship initiative builds on the existing partnership between Maynooth University and Mountjoy Prison (MJMU Partnership) and the recent successful launch of the Unlocking Potential website and toolkit for fair admissions policies for people with convictions.

The Kickstart Scholarship Fund is considered as an income disregard when calculating reckonable income for the Student Grant Scheme.

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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431. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated of cost of reducing apprentice fees by 20%, 50% and 100%, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38632/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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An Annual Student Contribution (ASC) is levied on all students attending Institutes of Technology (IoTs) and Technological Universities. The amount of ASC charged to apprentices is calculated on a pro rata basis of the time which they spend in the institution during the academic year. In cases where training is delivered in an Education and Training Board there is no contribution required from the apprentice.

For craft apprenticeships, the ASC charged is typically one third of the €3,000 ASC paid by students attending for the full academic year and so amounts to approximately €1,000 per apprentice per period spent in the IoT. In the case of consortia-led apprenticeships the contribution varies for each programme as off-the-job training has a more flexible structure, ranging from periods of block release to one day per week or remote learning options.

If the ASC was removed, with the apprentice paying examination fees only, then the cost to the State is estimated at an average €267 per apprentice per annum. Based on a current population of 23,639 registered apprentices, the estimated cost is €6.3m per annum. An estimated 50% reduction in the ASC to apprentices would cost an estimated €3.15m and a 20% reduction in the ASC to apprentices would cost an estimated €1.26m per annum.