Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on how the recruitment campaign for craft apprentice instructors by the education and training boards is progressing; the number of instructors that have been recruited in Cork; the areas they will be teaching in; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39993/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The National Apprenticeship Office (NAO) launched a recruitment campaign in November 2023 as part of the plan agreed with my Department to significantly increase State training capacity to meet the rising demand for craft apprenticeship.

The NAO allocated €149,000 to this campaign which targeted potential recruits on social media, radio, and digital audio and video.

To support the campaign, my Department sanctioned 134 instructor posts. To date over 87 posts have been filled nationally, with 3 more offers in progress. Further posts will be advertised throughout the rest of 2024 and into 2025.

Additionally, over 80 instructor posts were converted from fixed term to permanent which was important to support retention in the apprenticeship workforce.

Since the recruitment campaign began, Cork Education and Training Board (ETB) have hired 8 instructors, with 7 being appointed to the Bishopstown main campus and 1 to the Carrigaline campus. They will deliver the Electrical, Motor Mechanics, Electrical Instrumentation, and Pipefitting apprenticeship programmes.

Expanding the instructor staff workforce in ETBs has been an important measure to increase craft training places and support the skills requirements of the construction sector in particular.

In Cork ETB, apprentice training capacity has increased from 441 places in 2023 to 626 places in 2024 - an increase of over 40 per cent.

My recent announcement of €77.4m investment for apprenticeship in Budget 2025 is another important step to provide the resourcing required for an apprenticeship workforce that will teach the next generation of skilled tradespeople and support our economy.