Following the significant investment that the Government secured in Budget 2026 for apprenticeship delivery, Minister Lawless and I requested that the training allowance for apprentices working in the engineering sector be reviewed as a priority, given that these rates have not been updated since 2016.
Significant progress has been made on this review. SOLAS is in the final stages of preparing a proposal for increased training allowances in the engineering sector. The proposed new training allowance are expected to be introduced in January 2026, and I look forward to sharing further details in due course.
It is important to note that this is a complex area. When craft apprentices attend off-the-job training at Education and Training Boards (ETBs) or Higher Education Institutions, they receive a State training allowance. The allowance is aligned with industry minimum wage rates agreed through collective bargaining and varies depending on the apprentice’s training phase. In the construction sector, wage rates are further underpinned by a sectoral employment order.
Unlike other craft sectors, the engineering sector has not been able to set wage rates through collective bargaining. In the absence of collectively agreed wage rates in the engineering sector, the training allowance has remained unchanged since 2016.
In addition to the State training allowance, targeted financial supports are available to support learners from underrepresented groups, including members of the Traveller community and young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds entering apprenticeship schemes.
