Written answers
Wednesday, 2 July 2025
Department of Education and Skills
Apprenticeship Programmes
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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284. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of participants in apprenticeships in each of the past five years; the Government funding provided towards apprenticeships in each year; the Government’s targets and plans to increase the number participating in apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36333/25]
James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025, published in April 2021, aims to deliver an apprenticeship system that is flexible and responsive, providing a strong value proposition for employers and potential apprentices, embedding apprenticeship as a preferred route to skills development.
Government has demonstrated a strong and sustained commitment to apprenticeships. Since the formation of DFHERIS, investment in apprenticeship training has increased substantially.
The table below sets out the annual funding for apprenticeship from 2020-2025.
| - | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revised Estimates Allocation | €184m | €163m | €206m | €257m | €298m | €339m |
| Supplementary Estimates Allocation | 0 | -€ 35m | € 9m | € 15m | € 39m | n/a |
There has been a 76% increase in annual apprentice registrations, rising from 5,326 in 2020 to 9,352 in 2024, making good progress towards the Government target of 10,000 in 2025.
The table below sets out the total apprenticeship population at the end of each year from 2020-2024. 2025 end year population figures are not yet available.
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Total apprenticeship population | 19,630 | 24,212 | 26,325 | 27,470 | 29,772 |
The Programme for Government commits to a target of 12,500 annual apprentice registrations by 2030, and to "develop and launch a new 5-year Apprenticeship Action Plan for 2026-2030 to set a strategic vision for the sector and expand the skills categories". This is planned for publication in 2026.
Since 2020, there has been a 33% growth in the number of apprenticeship programmes available from 58 to 77 – resulting in qualifications ranging from levels NFQ levels 5 to 10. Four new apprenticeships were launched in 2024 - Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Level 8), Digital Marketing programme (Level 6), Social Work programme (Level 9) and Software Solutions programme (Level 9).
Expanding and modernising the apprenticeship system is a priority for my department, as we work to equip Ireland’s workforce for the future.
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