Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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97. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for details of any engagement he has had with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with regard to increasing the uptake of apprenticeships in construction-related trades; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6946/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department has engaged with officials in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on a number of initiatives and groups which targets skills in the construction sector.

There has been a marked increase in craft apprentice registrations over the past 4 years. In 2022, there were 8,286 total apprenticeship registrations – somewhat down on the 2021 high of 8,607 but an increase of 34% on the 2019 figures, the last pre-pandemic year. Of the registrations last year, 5,628 registrations (68%) were in construction and construction-related programmes.

Regarding apprenticeship uptake, we are making significant progress in realising the ambition of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025. A key objective is to make apprenticeship more attractive to employers and learners, to ensure their continued and increased engagement across all programmes. Progress to date includes:

- The establishment of the National Apprenticeship Office (NAO) and the National Apprenticeship Alliance (NAA), in a reform of apprenticeship governance structures;

- The establishment of the NAA’s Equity and Inclusion subcommittee, to help make apprenticeship more reflective of the national population;

- The removal of legislative barriers to the development of apprenticeship programmes in professions, through the Higher Education Authority Act, 2023;

- Securing resources for access measures, including a bursary programme for under-represented groups; The introduction of a gender bursary grant of €2,666;

- 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 26,000 apprentices.

Officials from my Department, along with their colleagues in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are working together to address labour demands in construction professions. This includes working closely on the development of the Construction Safety Licensing Bill 2023 and the Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022. The measures introduced and proposed under these pieces of legislation are designed to increase safety and make the sector more attractive for employees, including those who are currently under-represented in the construction workforce.

Work has also been ongoing regarding skills provision in relation to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Officials from both Departments and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment are working on understanding the impact of MMC on construction skills and existing skills requirements. This work is underway and will enable the development of a considered response in terms of education and training provision, including in relation to apprenticeships. My officials will continue to work closely with their colleagues in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ensure that all skills options are deployed in order to meet identified construction needs.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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100. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will indicate the total intake onto apprenticeships in the past 12 months, distinguishing between those going into new apprenticeships and those entering traditional apprenticeships; and the initiatives being taken to drive employer engagement with the new fields. [6755/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Apprenticeships are employer led demand-driven educational and training programmes that aim to develop the skills of an apprentice in order to meet the needs of industry and the labour market. As apprentices are employees the demand for and number of apprentices is primarily dictated by the employer base in any area or sector.

As of end Dec 2022, there were 8,286 registrations (6,299 craft and 1,987 on post 2016/consortia led apprenticeships) and the total population was 26,325 (22,429 craft and 3,896 on post 2016/consortia led apprenticeships). As of the end of January 2023, there have been 682 apprenticeship registrations. Of these, 465 were in construction and 67 were in construction-related apprenticeship programmes.

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 Action Plan is based on feedback from enterprise, the education and training sector, and apprentices themselves, among others, and we have listened to the issues and concerns raised. Nobody understands the skills employers need better than the employers themselves and without their engagement there can simply be no apprenticeships or places on those programmes. That is why we are driving supports, both financial and non-financial, to encourage and support their engagement.

Significant financial supports have been introduced during 2022 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 this 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 41 programmes that 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 being put in place include:

- The National Apprenticeship Office linking 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.

- 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 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.

Despite the pandemic, eight new programmes were launched over 2020 and 2021; Arboriculture, Equipment Systems Engineer, Healthcare Assistant, Principal Engineer – Professional Doctorate, Recruitment Executive, Sales, Scaffolding , Supply Chain Associate. In 2022, a further four apprenticeship programmes were also 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, including 10 new programmes expected to be launched across 2023.

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.

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.