Written answers

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Department of Education and Skills

Apprenticeship Programmes

Photo of Cathal CroweCathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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1038. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he proposes to introduce new rules pertaining to the level of pay that apprentices should receive, in light of the fact that many are in receipt of payments that are less than the national minimum wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1077/23]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Apprentices are primarily employees and all of the 66 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.

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.

Photo of Cian O'CallaghanCian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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1039. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of apprenticeship registrations in the construction sector by type in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1106/23]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As of the end of December 2022, there were a total of 5,628 registrations across all the construction apprenticeship programmes.

Of these, 4,797 registrations were on construction apprenticeship programmes, and 831 were registrations on construction-related apprenticeship programmes.

The full list of programmes and their total registration numbers are set out in the table.

Construction Apprenticeship Registrations
Total as of end of December
Construction 1676
Brick and Stonelaying 72
Carpentry and Joinery 713
Geo Driller 8
Painting and Decorating 23
Plastering 31
Plumbing 792
Scaffolding 29
Stonecutting and Stonemasonry 8
Electrical 2800
Electrical 2648
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning 152
Engineering 321
Engineering Services Management 22
Equipment Systems Engineer 5
Metal Fabrication 252
Sheet Metalworking 42
Grand Total 4797

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