Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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368. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts his Department is making to address the low uptake of apprenticeship places for the Travelling community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64039/25]

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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369. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts his Department is making to address the low uptake of suitable apprenticeship places for Travelling women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64040/25]

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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372. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to address the low uptake from employers taking on Traveller apprentices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64044/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 368, 369 and 372 together.

Inclusiveness is a key goal in the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025, with specific initiatives to support under-represented groups such as Travellers.

The Traveller Apprenticeship Incentivisation Programme (TAIP) was established in 2023 and is administered by the Irish Traveller Movement. It is funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund (DAF) and provides targeted support to members of the Traveller community when accessing and completing apprenticeships. This support is delivered through a €3,000 bursary, structured across three streams:

• New apprentices
• Existing apprentices
• Those attending pre-apprenticeship programmes

Since the programme started, a total of 150 grants have been approved across all streams.

TAIP actively engages employers across the public and private sectors through regular meetings and social media activity to promote Traveller participation in apprenticeships and to champion workplace diversity. In September 2025, over 40 employers attended TAIP’s “Traveller Employment – Recruitment and Retention” for employers session, as part of the IBEC Inclusive Leadership Forum. This was TAIP’s second employer training of the year.

Engaging with Traveller women is a key objective of the TAIP. In Q3 this year, the TAIP launched its Traveller Women in Apprenticeships poster and delivered a workshop on this theme to Galway Traveller Movement staff, in collaboration with Galway Technical Institute and the Galway Roscommon Educational Training Board Traveller and Roma SIT Officer, with two further workshops scheduled for Q4 2025. As of the end of September, women accounted for 21% of individuals expressing interest in the TAIP.

Boosting women’s participation in apprenticeships remains a priority, supported by a dedicated gender bursary to encourage female entrants. Since the department’s inception, the share of women among apprentices has grown from 5% to 10% of the total population.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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370. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts his Department is making to address the low uptake from employers taking on disabled people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64041/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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As discussed with the Deputy, this question presented does not fall under the remit of DFHERIS.