Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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567. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the review by SOLAS of the motor mechanics and heavy vehicle mechanics apprenticeship curricula to incorporate the knowledge and skills required to service and repair electric vehicles; the expected timeline for completion of this review; the expected date on which revised curricula will be introduced; whether existing apprentices and recently qualified motor mechanics will be offered a pathway to upskill to the revised standard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29544/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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SOLAS is the State agency with responsibility currently for craft apprenticeship curricula. SOLAS has revalidated both the motor mechanic and heavy vehicle mechanic apprenticeships with QQI and are progressing with the roll-out of these revalidated programmes. Existing apprentices currently on these programmes would undertake skills gap bridging training until the new programmes are rolled-out, thereafter they will follow the training as prescribed in the new curricula.

Maintaining up-to-date curricula for apprenticeships that are responsive to changing industry needs is a key goal under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship and will remain so going forward. With the increasing electrification of the vehicle fleet across the country, there is a need to ensure that training provision responds. In the case of EVs this means ensuring the programme includes fully developed EV/Hybrid service and repair content.

I have set in motion a series of reforms which will see long term improvements in the quality of all craft apprenticeships by transferring the responsibility for craft curricula and assessment to education providers. Stakeholders, including apprentice representatives and the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, have been invited to a town hall information session on the reforms to take place shortly.

For recently qualified Motor Mechanics there are various providers for EV training/upskilling at present in Ireland. These range from private industry providers serving the motor industry and vehicle manufacturers/dealerships to ETB and TU providers serving industry.

In order to meet 2030 Climate Action Plan targets for passenger cars, a recent study sets out that an average of 345 motor mechanics and technicians will require EV specific training annually. This will include new motor mechanic apprentices as well as reskilling and upskilling of existing mechanics per year.

In the past five years there has been a steady intake of apprentices for the heavy vehicle and motor mechanic programmes:

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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568. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether his Department has assessed the risk posed to the delivery of the Climate Action Plan EV deployment targets by the current shortage of qualified EV technicians in the State; whether this risk has been formally raised with the Department or with SOLAS; the interdepartmental coordination mechanisms in place to ensure that training capacity keeps pace with the projected growth of the national EV fleet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29549/26]

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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581. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the National eMobility Capability Centre (NeMCC) announced for Mullingar in 2023; the current status of the project; the amount of funding allocated and drawn down to date; the reasons for any delay; the expected date on which the centre will become operational; the projected annual training capacity; the permanent premises identified for the centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29551/26]

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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582. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of apprentices currently registered with Solas in the motor mechanics and heavy vehicle mechanics apprenticeships, on a year-on-year basis for each of the past five years; the number of qualified motor mechanics in the State who have completed certified EV or high-voltage training to date; the Department's estimate of the EV technician workforce required to service the national EV fleet over the next five years; the projected shortfall, if any, between current training output and projected demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29546/26]

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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583. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on engagement between his Department, SOLAS, the National Standards Authority of Ireland and the Health and Safety Authority in relation to the development of national standards and health and safety regulations governing work on high-voltage components in electric vehicles; the expected timeline for the agreement and publication of such standards and regulations; whether this work is on the critical path for the introduction of a revised motor mechanics apprenticeship curriculum and the operationalisation of the National eMobility Capability Centre in Mullingar; the extent to which the timeline is contingent on EU-level work on EV training standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29547/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 568, 581, 582 and 583 together.

With the increasing electrification of the vehicle fleet across the country, there is a need to ensure that training provision responds.

Recognising this my Department allocated €200,000 in Estimates 2024, through SOLAS, to progress the establishment of a strategic Project Office in Longford Westmeath Education and Training Board (LWETB) and for the completion of a Technical Feasibility Study.

This study, which was completed in 2025, identifies the emerging skills needs related to eMobility and assesses the extent to which a National eMobility Capability Centre (NeMCC) can equip professionals with the necessary skills to support the electrification of transport. The study also highlights that there are no national standards for electric vehicle (EV) technician training or direct health and safety regulation for working with EVs or high voltage components.

In order to meet 2030 Climate Action Plan targets for passenger cars alone, the study sets out that an average of 345 motor mechanics and technicians will require EV specific training annually. This will include new motor mechanic apprentices as well as reskilling and upskilling of existing mechanics per year.

In the past five years the FET sector alone has provided training to the following number of motor mechanic apprentices under existing programmes:

Drawing on the findings of the 2025 TFS, the focus of the Department and SOLAS then has been the development of curricula, certification and standards to ensure a safe transition to equip all individuals who are exposed to high voltages when working on or around electric vehicles across all sectors regarding transport.

With this in mind, work on Irish training standards for EVs is progressing in two strands:

1. Ireland is participating in an EU project to consider the matter and whether or not a recommendation/ standard for working on EVs is required at EU level. This would impact on training courses. Early indications of the preferred option are expected in approximately June or July of this year. Ireland is represented by SOLAS, which has engaged consultants to officially participate, as appropriate technical experts in this field.
2. Separately, Ireland is advancing work on developing a training standard for working on EVs, recognising the public interest in having such a standard in place. EV adoption is increasing, many first-generation cars are coming to the end of their battery warranty/lifetime periods, and public and private charging infrastructure is increasing. SOLAS is reviewing existing SOLAS-related courses (e.g. mechanical apprenticeships) to assess what training needs to be included in such courses.

Other partners in this work include the NSAI and Health and Safety Authority. As the HSA has statutory responsibility for workplace safety, their participation in, and agreement with, this process is critical. For example, changes to secondary legislation may be required to implement any proposed changes on a sound legal footing.

While the rationale for the Centre has been accepted, the Department has decided that it is prudent to pause the development of the NeMCC at this time, pending the development of an agreed approach and Irish standards. This decision is based on the understanding that early results from the work of both SOLAS and at EU level will be available in the summer. At that point, SOLAS will re-engage with the NeMCC project office in LWETB to implement the agreed next phase of training adaptation.

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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569. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of apprentices registered to the construction sector in 2025. [22085/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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With thanks to Deputy O’Connell for her interest in my Department’s work in the development of the national apprenticeship system, I can inform her that the number of new apprenticeship registrations in construction and construction-related fields for the full year 2025 was 6,428. This represents a growth rate of 69% since 2020.

I can add that the number of new craft apprenticeship registrations overall in 2025 was 7,147, which represents a growth of 78% on 2020.

This year will see the launch of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2026-2030, which recently completed an extensive public consultation phase. A key commitment in the Programme for Government, it will have a headline target of 12,500 new apprentice registrations per year by 2030 and two-thirds of these will be in craft and construction-related programmes.