Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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154. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the target of 10,000 annual apprenticeship registrations by the end of 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37512/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Investment in the apprenticeship system has been significant since the formation of my Department in 2020. To ensure an adequate pipeline of skilled apprentices to support Government targets on housing and infrastructure development, Government invested €77 million in the apprenticeship system in Budget 2025, bringing the total current budget for apprenticeship to €339 million. This represents a significant increase of 84% in apprenticeship funding since 2020.

This investment has supported strong employer demand in apprenticeships, and a 51% increase in annual registrations on apprenticeship programmes from 6,177 in 2019 to 9,352 in 2024, setting a strong base for reaching the target of 10,000 annual apprentice registrations by the end of 2025.

Craft apprenticeship registrations have increased by 35% from 5,271 in 2019 to 7,113 in 2024. with consortia-led registrations increasing by 147% from 906 in 2019 to 2,239 in 2024.

A key goal set out in the Apprenticeship Action Plan 2021-2025 is for apprenticeship to be recognised and valued by employers in every sector of Ireland’s economy as a key route to recruiting a highly skilled workforce.

At present, there is a total of 77 national apprenticeship programmes, 25 of which are Craft Apprenticeships and 52 of which are Consortia-Led programmes. These 77 apprenticeships cover a diverse assortment of career paths, ranging from Cybersecurity to Hairdressing.

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