Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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835. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made on action 8.3 of the Apprenticeship Action Plan; and the number of bursary programmes delivered to people with disabilities each year since the publication of the plan, in tabular form. [36196/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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One of the five overarching objectives of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 is "Apprenticeship for All”, which aims to ensure that the profile of the apprenticeship population better reflects the general population. Action 8.3 of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 commits to deliver a bursary programme for apprentices who are experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage and who are from target groups, including lone parents, people with disabilities, Travellers and Roma.

The Access to Apprenticeship Initiative supports the transition of young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds into an apprenticeship scheme. Eligible participants can access a €3,000 grant to support living costs including travel, accommodation and materials.

There is €500,000 funding in 2024 for this programme, delivered at TU Shannon, and expanding to include all Education and Training Boards, as well as TUS Limerick, Athlone, MTU and ATU Galway.

The National Apprenticeship Office who administer the access and inclusion bursary have advised that apprenticeship systems cannot currently record specific indicators e.g. disability, member of the travelling community.

By end April the National Apprenticeship Office paid the Access and Inclusion bursary to 42 recipients in the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Limerick, who attended 12-week full-time Access to Apprenticeship programme. 16 further learners on the TUS, Limerick programme and 16 to those on the TUS, Athlone, programme are expected to be paid this year, with Munster Technological University planning to commence the rollout of an Access to Apprenticeship programme in January 2025.