Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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848. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the projected annual savings to the State if the employer apprenticeships grant were abolished. [36628/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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For employers who were not benefiting from the indirect support afforded to craft apprenticeship in the form of training allowances, an annual employer grant of €2,000 per apprentice was introduced from January 2022. It is projected that the total cost in 2024 will range from €6,500,000 - €7,000,000. Hence, abolishing this grant would result in approximately €7,000,000 in annual savings for the State.

The employer grant extended financial support to all apprentice employers for the first time, responding to Key Deliverable 4 in my Department's Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 seeking to address barriers to employer participation in the system and in particular through financial measures which improve the cost-benefit argument for employing apprentices.

This Government's priority is ensuring that the right supports, including financial supports, are available to incentivise employers to participate in an apprenticeship system that delivers a highly skilled workforce to maintaining productivity, competitiveness and sustainable growth in the economy.