Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 December 2025
262. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to expand apprenticeship opportunities in Cork, particularly in towns such as Mallow, Millstreet, Kanturk, and Macroom to address regional skills shortages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67266/25]
View answerGovernment has prioritised the expansion of apprenticeship in recent years, with investments of €67 million, €77 million and €79 million over Budgets 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively. This amounts to more than doubling the annual allocation since 2020.
This investment has supported the growth of the apprenticeship system. Annual craft apprenticeship registrations have risen by 63% from 4,377 in 2020, the year in which my department was formed, to 7,113 in 2024. Consortia-led registrations have increased by 147% from 906 in 2019 to 2,239 in 2024.
Apprenticeship training providers in Cork are Cork Education and Training Board (CETB) and Munster Technological University (MTU). These institutions offer programmes in the following sectors: construction, motor, finance, logistics, beauty and ICT.
In addition, County Cork is serviced by the South West Regional Skills Forum, which provides information and assists companies to navigate the skills and apprenticeship system.
