Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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388. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to give urgent consideration to a query (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49394/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Government secured a significant investment of €77.4m into the apprenticeship system in Budget 2025. This is the single largest investment in core apprenticeship funding since the formation of the department in 2020. Current investment in apprenticeship has more than doubled since 2020. It has increased by 139%, from €142m in 2019 to over €339m in 2025.

This investment has supported the growth of craft apprenticeships, with annual registrations increasing by 35% since 2019 from 5,271 in 2019 to 7,113 in 2024. The number of craft apprentices reached 24,974 at the end of 2024, up from 16,142 in 2019.

This growth is both welcome and necessary, given the vital role apprentices play in supporting the construction sector and delivering on key Government priorities such as housing, retrofitting, and infrastructure development.

Regarding wait times for calls to training, an apprenticeship programme is a mixture of both on-the-job and off-the-job training phases, of which each phase requires a minimum period before becoming eligible for scheduling for the next off-the-job training phase.

The minimum duration of Phase 1 of a craft programme is three months. As three months is the minimum duration, this phase can last longer than three months. While an apprentice is waiting for a scheduling call they may complete some months beyond the minimum period, and this counts towards the minimum programme duration of 208 weeks. This does not necessarily indicate that the apprentice is delayed.

Craft programmes require a minimum of four years (208 weeks) to complete before an apprentice becomes eligible for craft certification. This means that an apprentice will not become eligible for certification until they have completed both a minimum of 208 weeks and have successfully completed all 7 phases of training.

The apprenticeship system operates on a continuous intake basis and a pipeline of apprentices ready for training is required to ensure full workshops and classes. Education and Training Boards schedule apprenticeship classes on a rolling basis over the course of the year.