Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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31. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans there are to increase the number of apprentices and graduates to enable a greater number of retrofits to take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13982/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Green and sustainability-focused skills are essential for meeting this Government’s ambitious climate targets set out in the Climate Action Plan, in particular the target to retrofit 500,000 homes to BER B2 standard by 2030.

My Department directly supports a broad range of initiatives to ensure that workers are equipped with the skills required to meet these challenges.

Apprenticeship is a key vehicle for this work. Working with SOLAS, we are ensuring that the apprenticeship system meets the evolving and emerging needs of the green economy. Approximately 40% of all apprenticeships, 31 programmes, are construction or construction-related. By the end of 2024, the population on these programmes was 21,895, a 66% increase on the 2019 pre-Covid figure.

In addition, apprenticeship curricula are being updated to include alternative energy and retrofit skills and technologies. Alternative energies have now been included within the Plumbing and Electrical Apprenticeship curricula, while NZEB standards are embedded in the Carpentry & Joinery curriculum.

Complementing this work, upskilling courses for existing construction workers are offered in Nearly Zero Energy Buildings/ retrofit, through a network of six Centres of Excellence operated by ETBs. These centres offer free, fast, and flexible courses to boost the skills and training needs of the sustainable construction sector. Enrolments have been increasing year on year, with 2024 the most successful year to date with 7,166 enrolments, up from 363 in 2020, the first year of operation.