Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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822. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made in skills and apprenticeships since 27 June 2020; the new initiatives undertaken; the additional funding provided for them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29604/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Since its establishment in 2020, my Department has focused on responding to the skills needs of today and the future.

My Department’s work in collaboration with the OECD on Ireland’s Skills Strategy, published in May 2023, highlighted the need to have a diversified supply of skills in Ireland to respond to the changing world of work and challenges posed by the onset of automation, AI, climate change and demographic change.

Apprenticeship

My Department published the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 and the Public Service Apprentice Plan which seeks to significantly increase the footprint of apprenticeship within both the public service and the private sector, while ensuring that apprenticeships are open and accessible, seen as a viable and exciting career path, and delivering current and future skills need for an economy facing demographic change and the twin green and digital transitions.

€67 million was invested in apprenticeship delivery in Budget 2024, making the total allocation in 2024 €298 million, up from €163 million in 2021.

The number of national apprenticeship programmes continues to grow. In 2019, there were 53 national apprenticeship programmes. There are now 75 apprenticeship programmes available at NFQ Levels 5-10.

A dedicated National Apprenticeship Office was established in 2022, tasked with the implementation of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship.

The National Apprenticeship Office promotes apprenticeship directly to school leavers, schools and guidance counsellors through events and through social media, in conjunction with this Department’s Careers in Construction Action Plan, which was published in August 2023.

The National Apprenticeship Alliance established the Access & Inclusion Sub-Committee in January 2023. Financial supports have been put in place to increase access for targeted groups such as those from a socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, Travellers and Roma, and to increase gender balance.

In 2022, the Government announced a gender-based bursary for employers. The bursary, worth €2,666, is available to employers who employ apprentices in the minority gender on any national apprenticeship programme with greater than 80% representation of a single gender. Women now make up 8% of the apprentice population, compared to 4% in 2019.

Construction and Green Skills

Construction and green skills are a priority area for my department. In 2023, work began, through the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, on an analysis of the skills for Modern Methods of Construction, to inform skills provision in 2024 onwards.

My Department continued to expand retrofit training through the programmes offered by the network of Nearly Zero Energy Building/Retrofit Centres of Excellence, with record numbers of students enrolling in 2023.

Skills training in the area of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings and Retrofit is continuing to be expanded in 2024.

In 2024, my Department is working with partners through the cross-government Offshore Wind Energy Programme to support the skills and workforce required for the development of offshore wind. This includes the completion of a detailed skills analysis report, the expansion of the Expert Advisory Group on Offshore Wind Skills and Workforce Requirements and the development of new training courses.

My Department is leading the development of skills for electro-mobility through the establishment of a Project Office for a new National e-Mobility Capability Centre and the creation of an industry aligned e-mobility advisory committee.

My Department also supports substantial provision of lifelong learning opportunities across the Tertiary system in Ireland, for example, through initiatives such as Springboard+, the Human Capital Initiative, Skills to Advance and the work of Skillnet Ireland. Further detail on these can be provided to the Deputy upon request.

Future-proofing Ireland’s capabilities is reliant on sustained investment in our skills ecosystem, and my priority is to invest in skills development to address current and future skills needs, including through Apprenticeship.