Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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482. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made in skills and apprenticeships since 27 June 2020; the new initiatives undertaken; and the additional funding provided for them. [62322/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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This Government was formed, and I was appointed to this role, against the backdrop of an unprecedented global pandemic. In accordance with the Programme for Government, a new Action Plan for Apprenticeship to cover the period 2021-2025 was proposed for development. The purpose of the plan was to look at new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships and to set out how the apprentice population would more closely reflect the general population and further address the issue of barriers to participation in apprenticeship by under-represented groups by offering targeted supports.

As a vital first step in supporting and protecting apprenticeship, the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme was approved under the July Jobs Stimulus for employers registering apprentices after 1 March 2020. The Scheme comprised a €2,000 payment when employers register a new apprentice, followed by an additional €1,000 payment one year later where that apprentice is retained. The intention of the scheme was to ensure that the apprenticeship population was supported during those troubled times and would play a key part in supporting economic recovery during and following Covid-19.

It had been anticipated that the initial duration and subsequent expansion of the Scheme to mid-2021 would cover the re-opening period. However this did not transpire and the scheme was extended a second time to the end of 2021.

The scheme supported a significant recovery of apprentice registrations in 2020 and into 2021 and enabled apprentice registrations to not only remain on a par with registrations for 2019 but to exceed them. By end Dec 2021 there were 8607 new registrations compared to 5326 at end 2020 and 6177 by end 2019.

For the duration of the scheme the total number of validated applications was 6,509, in respect of 9,524 apprentices. The establishment, funding and success of the scheme is a strong demonstration of my and the Government's commitment to the development and growth of apprenticeship in Ireland, which will be sustained and intensified through the implementation of the Action Plan on Apprenticeship.

The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 (APA) was launched on 19th April 2021 and sets out a five year plan which sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship accessible to employers and learners. The actions set out in the plan seek to deliver on a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum by 2025 across all sectors of the economy. Measures to support employer engagement in apprenticeship, particularly within the SME sector, are integral to the delivery of that target.

The APA has been live for over one year now and already I can report to you that as a result of a €34 million investment under Budget 2022 targeting the expansion of apprenticeship, including the development of new programmes and addressing the Covid-related backlogs, significant progress has already been made.

Eight new programmes were launched over 2020 and 2021, despite the pandemic; Arboriculture, Equipment Systems Engineer, Healthcare Assistant, Principal Engineer – Professional Doctorate, Recruitment Executive, Sales, Scaffolding , Supply Chain Associate. This year alone, four apprenticeship programmes have been launched - Bar Manager, Wind Turbine Maintenance Technician, Transport Operations & Commercial Driving, and Cybersecurity Practitioner. There are currently 66 apprenticeship programmes on offer: 25 craft programmes and 41 new programmes introduced since 2016. A further 21 are in development in areas including agriculture, finance, and hospitality.

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.

A key objective of the APA is to make apprenticeship more attractive to employers and learners, to ensure their continued engagement. Progress to date includes:

- The establishment of the National Apprenticeship Office (NAO), the appointment of its first Director and the initiation of its work plan;

- The removal of legislative barriers to the development of apprenticeship programmes in professions, enabled by the approval of the Oireachtas of the Higher Education Authority Bill, 2022;

- The establishment of the National Apprenticeship Alliance (NAA), representing the broad range of partners involved in apprenticeship;

- The imminent establishment of the Equity of Access subcommittee, to help make apprenticeship more reflective of the national population;

- Securing resources for access measures, including a bursary programme for under-represented groups;

- The introduction of the apprenticeship employer grant of €2,000 and a gender bursary grant of €2,666;

- A significant increase in the number of new apprenticeship registrations in 2021, a near 40% increase on 2019 figures;

- The allocation of €17.2m in additional capital investment for SOLAS and the HEA, building on the €20 million Apprenticeship Capital Fund investment in 2021;

- The inclusion of apprenticeship options on the CAO website from November 2021.

Due to these measures and other supports aimed at simplifying the process for employers, there are currently almost 9,000 employers and over 26,000 apprentices. I am confident that these numbers will increase as apprenticeships can help companies to compete in the modern marketplace and make their organisations more competitive. In addition to building a company's skills base, providing quality training helps with staff loyalty and retention, thus adding to the benefits of apprenticeships.

The actions set out in the plan will deliver clarity for school-leavers, jobseekers, and career changers on the wide range of available apprenticeships. Through the Generation Apprenticeship media and billboard campaigns and their ground-breaking apprentice and employer of the year competitions, the NAO will continue to get the message out there that apprenticeship is open for business. All national apprenticeship programmes are promoted under the banner of Generation Apprenticeship and a dedicated apprenticeship website.

Already as part of Budget 2023 I announced a once-off reduction of up to 33% in the contribution fee for apprentices and additional funding for social inclusion measures in apprenticeship, such as a bursary for apprentices from under-represented groups and the expansion of the Access to Apprenticeship (ATA) initiative.

Funding will also be made available through the recently announced pilot Traveller Apprenticeship Incentivisation Programme in 2023 for a Traveller-specific package of financial supports, to increase participation and retention in apprenticeship.

We will continue to invest in building the apprenticeship system in 2023 given the Government’s clearly articulated ambition set out in the Action Plan. I am satisfied that the suite of initiatives included in the Apprenticeship Action Plan will provide strong momentum in making our apprenticeship system a strong value proposition for employers and potential apprentices and to boosting the presence of currently under-represented groups in our apprenticeship population.