Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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57. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress on achieving the target of 10,000 annual apprenticeship registrations by the end of 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13983/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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There has been significant investment in the growth of apprenticeships since the creation of this Department in 2020 and we are on track to reach the target of 10,000 registrations per year by 2025.

One of the main objectives of the Apprenticeship action Plan 2021-2025 is for apprenticeships to be recognised and valued by employers across all sectors of the economy as a key mechanism for building a highly skilled workforce. There are now 77 national apprenticeship programmes, of which 25 are craft apprenticeships and 52 are consortia-led, across a diverse range of offerings from cybersecurity to hairdressing.

In Budget 2025 €77 million was allocated to apprenticeship, representing the single biggest increase in core funding for apprenticeships since the establishment of this Department. The total current budget for apprenticeship is €339 million, which is a 139% increase in apprenticeship funding since 2019.

This investment has supported a 51% increase in annual registrations on apprenticeship programmes from 6,177 in 2019 to 9,352 in 2024.

Craft apprenticeship registrations have increased by 35% from 5,271 in 2019 to 7,113 in 2024.

Consortia-led registrations have increased by 147% from 906 in 2019 to 2,239 in 2024.

It is this Government's priority to continue to invest in apprenticeships, with a target of 12,500 annual registrations by 2030.