Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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286. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of craft instructors recruited as part of his national recruitment campaign to hire an additional 100 craft apprentice instructors. [23351/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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A national recruitment campaign was launched by the National Apprenticeship Office from November 2023 to support increased ETB apprenticeship delivery capacity and the plan to reduce the number of apprentices waiting overlong for phase 2 off-the-job training.

To date, 134 instructor posts have been sanctioned by the Department, of which 77 have been advertised, and 58 posts filled. Further posts will be advertised as capital projects come on stream across the rest of 2024 and into Quarter 1 2025. Additionally, over 80 instructor posts were converted from fixed term to permanent to support retention of staff.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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287. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of craft apprentices currently employed by the ESB and Bord na Móna; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23352/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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At the end of April 2024 there are 23,049 craft apprentices registered of which 2,278 were registered from January to April of this year.

There are 297 craft apprentices employed by the ESB (all divisions).

There are 6 craft apprentices employed by Bord na Mona (all divisions).

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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288. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when he plans to introduce a special purpose apprenticeship in modern methods of construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23353/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Greater adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), an umbrella term for a range of innovative construction processes, is a key pillar of the Government’s approach to increasing innovation and achieving productivity gains in the delivery of housing.

MMC will promote the diversity of career opportunities in the sector, including new and emerging careers, while the greater adoption of MMC is also expected to reduce the projected increase in existing labour demand.

This Department is working with partners to advance a coherent approach to the adoption of MMC and is responsible for a number of actions in this area in Housing for All and the Government’s MMC Roadmap. These actions include the development of a National Demonstration Park for MMC and an MMC Skills Action Plan.

The apprenticeship model is an invaluable part of the overall tertiary response to construction skills requirements. Recognising this, Government provided an additional €67 million in Budget 2024 for apprenticeship delivery. In total, almost €300 million was provided for apprenticeship.

Currently there are 30 construction and construction-related apprenticeships available. Development processes are in place for employers who wish to assess the potential for new construction apprenticeships in line with industry needs.

This Department is working with partners to ensure that there is provision of relevant specialist training for emerging MMC skills requirements, including through apprenticeship.

Laois & Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) and TU Dublin are currently building a consortium of industry leaders and education and training providers to develop a national MMC Project Management Apprenticeship Programme.

Both of the lead partners bring a wealth of experience in construction education and training to the project with the aim of creating an apprenticeship programme that will equip future MMC professionals with the necessary knowledge, skills, and practical experience to excel in this field.

The partnership is currently reaching out to industry stakeholders to participate in shaping a proposal to meet the specific needs of the Irish construction sector. Following this, the proposal will be submitted to the National Apprenticeship Office as soon as possible.

There are already numerous MMC training courses available through the National Construction Training Campus, the Education and Training Boards, Skillnet Ireland and higher education institutions. I have no doubt that the addition of a suitable apprenticeship programme, which has been approved through the usual governance arrangements, will be a valuable development.