Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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2592.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts his Department is making to reduce the delays in apprenticeships in Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30995/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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My Department is continuing to oversee the implementation of a plan put in place by the National Apprenticeship Office to significantly increase apprenticeship capacity and respond to rising Craft Apprenticeship registrations.

At Cork Education and Training Board (CETB), apprenticeship funding rose from €17.1 million in 2023 to €17.9 million in 2024. Two workshops, one electrical and one plumbing, were completed in 2023 following an investment of €1 million.

At present, CETB provides 10 Craft Apprenticeship programmes. They are as follows:

• Brick and Stonelaying
• Carpentry and Joinery
• Electrical
• Electrical Instrumentation
• Heavy Vehicle Mechanics
• Metal Fabrication
• Motor Mechanics
• Pipefitting
• Plumbing
• Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

For phase 2 training, its current facilities include 16 workshops, operated by 29 instructors in CETB’s Bishopstown Campus. Added to this, CETB’s Mallow Campus delivers Phase 4 Carpentry and Joinery training, with 2 workshops and 3 instructors. This is a total of 18 workshops and 32 instructors.

In addition, there are 65 instructors for Phase 4 and 6 off-the-job training delivered in MTU Cork and Cork College of FET, Mallow campus - where phase 4 and 6 training is provided in 10 craft programmes, including;

• Mechanical Automotive Maintenance Fitter,
• Metal Fabrication,
• Motor Mechanic,
• Pipefitting,
• Plastering,
• Plumbing,
• Refrigeration and Air-conditioning
• Carpentry & Joinery,
• Construction Plant Fitting,
• Electrical.