Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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21. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to indicate the growth of take-up by the public service and by the multinational sector of the new model of apprenticeships; if he considers that new initiatives are necessary to promote them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23314/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Consortia-led apprenticeships were developed from 2016 onwards to respond to emerging skills shortages, and are providing employment, career development and a pathway to a recognised qualification for apprentices across nearly 50 occupations.

This model has grown significantly with registrations rising by 134% from 2019 to 2023.

Information on the number of multinationals participating in consortia-led apprenticeship is not available, however, in April 2024 there was a population of 4,194 consortia-led apprentices across over 2,000 employers, ranging from sectors such as ICT, Engineering, Construction, and Healthcare.

Increasing the uptake of apprenticeship in the public service is a focus for this Government. In August 2023 my Department published the Public Service Apprenticeship Plan jointly with DPENDPR which sets out key actions to deliver this objective.

In January 2024 there were 393 apprentices employed by the public sector or civil service. 180 of those were apprentices on consortia-led programmes like Accounting Technician or ICT.

In terms of direct promotion activities, the National Apprenticeship Office held a digital, print, and radio campaign in 2023 to promote 70 plus apprenticeship options to employers and career seekers.

My Department also sponsors WorldSkills Ireland, which in 2024 will showcase skills based careers and apprenticeships directly to industry and over 20,000 second level students.

This Government's priority is to promote apprenticeship to all employers - SMEs, the public service and multinationals alike.

To incentivise participation on consortia-led apprenticeship, a €2,000 employer grant for consortia-led apprenticeship employers was introduced in 2022, a key deliverable in the Action Plan for Apprenticeship.