Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 October 2024
569. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated annual cost to the Exchequer of boosting bursary funding to €500,000 for underrepresented apprentices in education and training boards and technical universities. [38891/24]
View answerIn 2024, funding of €500,000 has been provided for a bursary for underrepresented apprentices in education and training boards and in higher education institutes. This is called the Access and Inclusion bursary and is administered by the National Apprenticeship Office.
As of April, of this year, the National Apprenticeship Office has paid the Access and Inclusion bursary (€3,000 to each learner) to 42 recipients in the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Limerick, who attended 12-week full-time Access to Apprenticeship programme.
16 further learners on the TUS, Limerick programme and 16 to those on the TUS, Athlone, programme are expected to be paid this year, with Munster Technological University planning to commence the rollout of an Access to Apprenticeship programme in January 2025.
This is a significant part of achieving Action 8.3 of the the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 "Apprenticeship for All”, one of the plans's five overarching objectives, which commits to deliver a bursary programme for apprentices who are experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage and who are from target groups, including lone parents, people with disabilities, Travellers and Roma.
