Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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2112. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the specific measures his Department will adopt to rapidly increase construction apprenticeship numbers, given the current crisis-level shortage and the urgent labour demands associated with national housing and infrastructure targets. [58228/25]

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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The Deputy is right to highlight the urgency of equipping Ireland’s workforce with the skills needed to deliver new housing, drive retrofitting projects, and meet the Government’s infrastructure priorities under the National Development Plan.

The apprenticeship model is certainly an invaluable part of the overall tertiary response to these requirements, and the Government is underlining this with a range of actions over the coming months and years.

My Department secured an additional €79 million investment in apprenticeships through Budget 2026, the highest investment in core apprenticeship funding since the Department’s formation.

Since 2020, we have more than doubled the investment in apprenticeships - by 123% - bringing the total annual current budget to over €410 million.

Budget 2026 also secures €10 million in previously temporary funding, providing further assurance for the system.

Recognising the importance of incentivising employers, we introduced an employer grant of €2,000 per year for consortia-led apprenticeships. We also introduced a gender-based bursary of €2,666 which is available to employers who hire apprentices in programmes where there is greater than 80% representation of a single gender.

Next year will see the launch of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2026-2030. A key commitment in the Programme for Government, it will have a headline target of 12,500 new apprentice registrations per year by 2030, with two-thirds of these to be in craft and construction-related programmes.

To further support this momentum, a concerted effort is being made to attract more people into the craft trades through cross-partner campaigns.

Research undertaken by my Department found a lack of knowledge and understanding about the industry and the roles available, a poor perception of the working environment as well as a perception that construction is not suitable for women. In response, the Department is implementing the Careers in Construction Action Plan, which comprises 20 actions that relate to structural, promotional, and training activities to minimise barriers, promote career opportunities, and make construction jobs more attractive to women.

Among the actions are several campaign initiatives supported by the 2024 and 2025 Housing for All Implementation Fund. These include the Building Heroes peer-to-peer social media campaign and a documentary on careers in construction for second-level schools, both of which include young role models from the trades. The National Apprenticeship Office runs the Facts, Faces, Futures campaign which highlights the growing participation and leadership of women in apprenticeship.

I am particularly pleased to report that the Building Heroes campaign is going from strength to strength. The first phase of the 2025 campaign, with almost 100 pieces of content across social media, has exceeded targets for engagement with a 23% increase in followers across all platforms. There have been almost 8,000 engagements, an increase of 140% per post compared with 2024. Phase two of this year’s campaign kicked off at WorldSkills.

My Department has recently updated the Careers in Construction Action Plan in collaboration with several key industry and education partners, with the revised plan set to be published in the coming weeks.

My Department also works with the Department of Social Protection on the Future Building Initiative. Through the initiative, Intreo, SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards of Ireland have formed a dedicated cross-functional team to support recruitment and training across the construction sector. The team collaborate closely to drive progress in recruitment for training courses, apprenticeships and jobs.

Together, these activities reflect a broad range of approaches and initiatives aimed at encouraging more uptake in apprenticeships in the construction sector.

While there is much work to be done, it is worth highlighting that we have seen much progress in meeting skills needs over the last number of years. Annual registrations in craft apprenticeships have risen by 63%, from 4,377 in 2020 to 7,113 in 2024. Over the same period, the total number of apprentices in construction and related fields has grown by 45%, from 17,183 to 24,974. This underpins the value of this training route at a time of near-full employment and high demand for construction skills.

I remain committed to ensuring that the apprenticeship system is robust, responsive, and ready to meet the evolving skills needs of Ireland’s economy.