Press release
Government announces €7.5 million capital funding to support Apprenticeship Programmes
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD, together with the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, and Minister of State for Training, Skills, Innovation and Research and Development, John Halligan TD today announced capital funding of more than €7.5 million for nine Institutes of Technology and the Technological University (TU) Dublin.
The funding forms part of the government’s commitment, under Project Ireland 2040, to increase investment in higher and further education and training and to the modernisation of equipment available for craft apprenticeship provision.
Minister McHugh said:
“The government is deeply committed to expanding the apprenticeship system and this investment reaffirms that. Ensuring that our young people and those retraining have access to cutting edge equipment and the latest thinking on sustainability is key to further developing this increasingly-popular option for training and progression."
“There was an 80% increase in apprenticeship registrations between 2015 and 2018. This €7.5m funding will enable Institutes of Technology and TU Dublin to purchase new equipment and update their infrastructure."
“Apprenticeships offer fantastic opportunities and I would encourage any person looking at their career options, especially students preparing to sit exams this week, to strongly consider the many benefits of apprenticeship.”
Today’s announcement brings the total capital funding allocated to support the modernising of craft apprenticeship programmes in the sector since 2017 to more than €23 million.
It is being provided by the Department of Education and Skills through the Higher Education Authority (HEA).
This funding will support the roll-out of new syllabi for apprenticeships in Plumbing, Carpentry, Electrical, Brickwork, Motor Painting and Decorating, Vehicle Body Repair, Fitting, Toolmaking and Wood Manufacturing and Finishing.
It will enable Institutes of Technology and TU Dublin to provide apprentices with training in the most up to date techniques, including sustainable and renewable technologies such as solar and wind energy and energy efficient construction methods and materials.
The equipment needs have been identified by the HEA, in conjunction with SOLAS. 6,500 apprentices are expected to undertake training in an Institute of Technology or TU Dublin in 2019.
Minister Mitchell O’Connor said:
“I am delighted that over €7.5 million is being invested to support the modernisation of the syllabi and to purchase new equipment for our apprenticeship programmes in our IoTs and TU Dublin. It will ensure that our apprenticeships have the best possible experience, keep pace with new methods and technologies in the workplace and are trained to the highest level possible.”
Minister Halligan said:
“This Government is committed to more than doubling the number of new apprentices registered and the number of apprenticeships on offer over the lifetime of the Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship. Budget 2019 allocated €142m for apprenticeship training, an increase of over 16% on the previous year. This will allow for the delivery of 10 more apprenticeship programmes and over 7,000 new apprenticeship registrations in 2019 alone.”
ENDS
The breakdown of how the €7.5m is allocated across Institutes of Technology and TU Dublin and across apprenticeships is set out in the table below.
Apprenticeship is a programme of structured education and training which formally combines and alternates learning in the workplace with learning in an education and training institution. An apprenticeship prepares participants for a specific occupation and leads to a qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications. Since the 1970s it is estimated that over 105,000 apprentices have been trained in Ireland. The current apprenticeship population now stands at 16,000.
Building on the Programme for Government, the Action Plan for Education contains a commitment to enroll 31,000 people on apprenticeship programmes in the period 2016-2020. The Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship in Ireland 2016-2020 sets out a series of detailed actions and annual targets to enable the Action Plan for Education commitments to be met. In 2018, 5,648 new apprentices were registered.
To date, following the Apprenticeship Council’s two calls for proposals in 2015 and 2017, 20 new consortia led apprenticeship programmes have been developed. These new programmes span a variety of sectors ranging from financial services and ICT to hospitality. Further new apprenticeships are due to get underway in 2019 and 2020 in various areas including construction, engineering and hairdressing.
Total Apprentices Registrations per year 2015 - 2018
| Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Total | 3,153 | 3,821 | 4,843 | 5,648 |
Total Apprentices Population per year 2015 - 2018
| Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Total | 8,317 | 10,445 | 12,851 | 15,373 |
2019 Capital Funding Allocated for Institutes of Technology and TU Dublin
| Institute | Plumbing | Electrical | Brickwork | Painting and Decorating | Wood Manufacturing and Fitting | Motor | Carpentry | Machine Shops | Vehicle Body Repair | Total by Institute |
| Athlone IoT | 80,000 | 180,000 | 260,000 | |||||||
| Carlow IoT | 60,000 | 200,000 | 260,000 | |||||||
| Cork IoT | 80,000 | 60,000 | 180,000 | 200,000 | 750,000 | 1,270,000 | ||||
| Dundalk IoT | 80,000 | 60,000 | 180,000 | 200,000 | 520,000 | |||||
| Galway-Mayo IoT | 60,000 | 180,000 | 240,000 | |||||||
| Limerick IoT | 60,000 | 160,000 | 180,000 | 200,000 | 650,000 | 1,250,000 | ||||
| IoT Sligo | 60,000 | 200,000 | 700,000 | 960,000 | ||||||
| IT Tralee | 200,000 | 100,000 | 300,000 | |||||||
| Waterford IoT | 80,000 | 60,000 | 180,000 | 320,000 | ||||||
| TU Dublin | 160,000 | 120,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 350,000 | 180,000 | 1,000,000 | 120,000 | 2,130,000 | |
| Total | 480,000 | 540,000 | 260,000 | 100,000 | 350,000 | 1,260,000 | 1,200,000 | 3,200,000 | 120,000 | 7,510,000 |