Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
1079. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average time it took from phase one to completion for each apprenticeship, by trade in Cavan in each of the years 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3843/26]
View answer1082. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average time it took from phase one to completion for each apprenticeship, by trade in Sligo in each of the years 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3846/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1079 and 1082 together.
The mandatory duration for a craft apprenticeship, from commencement of training to completion, is a minimum of 208 weeks, with a further period of up to 12 weeks required to process the apprenticeship certificate. The median time to certification across the craft apprenticeship system was 239 weeks in 2024. This decreased to 227 weeks in 2025.
Apprenticeships are national programmes. Apprentices are registered by their employers with Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in the region in which their employers are located. There are 16 ETBs, and many ETBs cover broader geographical areas rather than being specific to a single county. Consequently, SOLAS has advised that the requested data cannot be provided for apprentices in Cavan and Sligo specifically.
As Minister, I have prioritised investment for apprenticeship, and I secured €79 million investment for apprenticeship delivery in Budget 2026. This brings total annual funding for apprenticeship delivery to over €410 million in 2026, more than double the €184 million invested in 2020, the year which my department was established. This continued investment and commitment to apprenticeship delivery has delivered clear results. Annual apprenticeship registrations have grown by 78% in recent years, rising from 5,326 in 2020 to 9,461 in 2025.
This Government remains committed to growing and reforming apprenticeship training. The Government will launch the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2026 - 2030 this year, targeting 12,500 annual registrations by 2030. On 19 December, Minister of State Harkin and I launched a public consultation on the new Action Plan, which will remain open until 16 February. I invite all interested parties to participate - the consultation is available on the Gov.ie website in the Consultations section.
