Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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84. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress that has been made in publishing an updated Apprenticeship Action Plan to look at new ways of structuring, funding and promoting apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6917/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The tradition of apprenticeship in Ireland pre-dates the foundation of the State. The current apprenticeship system has its roots in the 2013 Review of Apprenticeship Training in Ireland which set out the continued benefits of a system which combines workplace learning in an enterprise with classroom based learning in an education or training setting. It also set out the need to expand apprenticeship beyond the 27 craft apprenticeship programmes in place at the time and culminated in the launch of the Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship in Ireland, covering the period 2016-2020.

Continuing the progress made during this period the ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ was launched in April 2021 and sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship more 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.

We are making significant progress in realising the ambition of the Plan. A key objective is to make apprenticeship more attractive to employers and learners, to ensure their continued engagement and to attract those who have not previously engaged with the system. 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 establishment of the Access and Inclusion 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;

- 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.

- The National Apprenticeship Office (NAO) Freephone advice helpline was officially launched on 19 January 2023

- The expansion of apprenticeship to all areas of the economy, with 66 programmes currently available, thus widening the impact of apprenticeship to areas of skills shortage such as engineering, technology skills, logistics, and fintech

-The submission of a memorandum to Government in November 2022 detailing the progress to date of the implementation of the Action Plan

The positive impacts of these measures are already evident in apprentice registrations. 2021 figures showed 8,607 registrations – an increase of 40% on figures for 2019 (the last full pre-Covid year). 2022 saw 8,286 registrations and a population of over 26,000.

The NAO will continue to drive central branding and promotional activities targeted to heighten public awareness of the range of apprenticeship offerings and the further implementation of the Action Plan.By 2025, regardless of the sector, apprenticeship will be a clear choice for people looking for a new career, qualification, or return to work option across all areas of the economy. We want apprenticeship to be at the heart of the conversation when employers are looking at ways to recruit staff. A minimum of 10,000 new apprentice jobs will be available every year – and will be filled by learners of all ages and experience, and at least 750 of those will be in the public sector.