Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There are no restrictions on the number of apprentices that can be registered each year, as the system is demand-led. The current buoyant labour market and the recognition of apprenticeship as a valuable employment and skills development opportunity, is a welcome endorsement of this Government’s support of, and ambitions for, Apprenticeships in the tertiary sector. The apprenticeship system is now responding to a marked increase in demand over the past 4 years.

My Department is working closely with SOLAS and the ETBs to continue to increase training capacity, resulting in 13,000 craft places delivered in 2022. It is intended to deliver some 15,300 places in total this year. With additional funding of €67 million now secured through Budget 2024, I expect training capacity to increase to 16,000 places in 2024 – an increase approaching 25%.

SOLAS, the National Apprenticeship Office and the ETBs, together with staff representatives, are continuing to work intensively with my Department to deliver the required additional apprenticeship training capacity to secure the reductions in waiting time for off-the-job training, in particular for phase 2 training.

This funding will support the delivery of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship’s ambition of 10,000 annual registrations by 2025. It will also support skills development in key areas, especially in construction skills, and assist with achieving delivery of Government commitments on Housing for All, and the Climate Action Plan.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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136. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the number of completed apprenticeships across counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal per year between 2018 to 2022 and to date in 2023; the support mechanisms that are in place to keep apprentices within the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45639/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship accessible to employers and learners. The ambitions of the Plan spans both financial and non-financial measures.

Significant financial supports to employers that have been introduced include:

• The annual Employer Grant of €2,000 per apprentice means that employers of all apprentices now have access to financial support, either through direct payment of allowances to apprentices or through the grant.
• 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.

• The One More Job initiative provides tailored financial and training supports to Irish micro- and small-businesses who employ one or more apprentices in 2023.
• Free online mentoring for employers new to training apprentices, grants towards training costs, and guidance from the One More Job team during the first year of training.

• The student contribution applies annually to all free fee eligible students and the current rate is €3,000 per annum. Budget 2024 ensures that apprentices will specifically benefit from a one-third reduction in the Apprenticeship Student Contribution Fee in the 2023/24 academic year
• Budget 2024 provides for additional funding of €400,000 for a bursary for apprentices from under-represented groups
• A ‘Facts, Faces, Futures’ campaign launched this year aims to ensure that every girls’ school in the country has access to comprehensive information and briefings on apprenticeship options
• • Facts: Apprenticeship is packed with diverse role models and women’s success stories, and growing numbers of women apprentices and graduates of the apprenticeship route
  • Faces: They are employers, chefs, craftspeople, cyber security specialists, international financial analysts, creators, team members, leaders
  • Futures: More and more girls in school can take inspiration from these role models, seeing what they can be and shaping their future careers

Across the counties of Sligo, Leitrim, and Donegal specifically, for the overall period since 2018, a total of 563 apprentices have completed their apprenticeship programmes . Of these -

• For consortia-led apprenticeships, there have been 86 apprentice completers between 2018-22, and a further 20 completers so far this year.
• For craft apprenticeship programmes, there have been 374 apprentice completers between 2018-22, and a further 83 apprentice completers in 2023.

Breakdowns of the aforementioned apprenticeship completion and registration figures by year and educational institution are included in the attached document.

I am satisfied that these measures and supports will have a significant impact in ensuring greater capacity and uptake in the apprenticeship system both in the north-west region of Sligo-Leitrim-Donegal and nationally.