Apprentices on the rise
A record number of apprentices were registered in 2023, with significant numbers registering to join construction trades.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris TD and Minister of State for Further Education and Skills Niall Collins TD confirmed 17 new apprenticeship programmes are proposed for this year including four in the area of construction, while a further six in areas such as firefighting and paramedics are in development.
The announcement comes as figures show the apprenticeship population has increased to 27,470, with a record 8,712 new registrations in 2023. 6,588 of these are in the craft area.
Speaking about the increase, Minister Harris said: “Increasing the number of apprentices and apprenticeships is crucial if we want to meet the targets this Government has set under Housing for All and the Climate Action Plan.
“We know we need thousands more workers in some of our key craft sectors and to help achieve our climate goals.
“The future of this country will be safeguarded by our skilled apprentices so we must put all the tools at the disposal of young people to avail of these opportunities and get trained in areas where there is need for an increase in workers.
“By 2025 we set the target of 10,000 new apprentices every year and we are very close to reaching that target with close to 9,000 last year.
“We want to make apprenticeships as accessible and available as possible. That requires us constantly altering and changing what we can offer to people. I am really pleased to see some key areas now moving to this way of delivering third level education,” he revealed.
“Importantly, this includes paramedics, social workers, roofing and cladding, and a Level 8 and Masters in Civil Engineering.
“The Action Plan for Apprenticeships commits us to reaching 10,000 new registrations every single year. This will ensure we can meet that target and maybe earlier than we planned.”
The new apprenticeship programmes are intended to start from mid-2024 and later in the academic year.
Dr Mary-Liz Trant, Director of the National Apprenticeship Office, said: “By the end of 2024 there will be over 80 national apprenticeship programmes available across a broad range of really dynamic industry areas in Ireland.
“The National Apprenticeship Office is delighted to support employers and the enterprise community in meeting skills needs and supporting talent development and retention through the apprenticeship route.
“I am also delighted that end of year figures indicate 8,712 apprentices registered for training in 2023 and that a really encouraging 2,124 of those are on consortia-led programmes.
“The overall apprentice population is 27,470 of which 2,272 are women.
"Also, the number of phase 2 craft apprentices delayed in their training has dropped for a second month in a row with 3,919 apprentices waiting 6 months or more as at the end of December.
“Close to 10,000 training places for phase 2 craft apprentices are planned for 2024, which is almost double the capacity in 2023. The objective in 2024 is to eliminate the delays in full, working closely month-on-month with ETB, TU and IoT training providers, and with the support of industry.”