Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
1167. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way his Department plans to scale up apprenticeships and further education opportunities to address skills shortages, including outcomes targets for literacy, digital skills, and green skills training over the next three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6243/26]
View answerThe development of a new Action Plan for Apprenticeship is a Programme for Government commitment. The Plan will set a target of 12,500 new apprenticeship registrations per year, with two-thirds of these in craft and construction-related disciplines. It will focus on the continued growth and reform of the apprenticeship system, supporting identified national skills needs, including those linked to infrastructure delivery, and strengthening the quality and relevance of apprenticeships and other work-integrated learning models.The Adult Literacy for Life strategy, published in July 2021, is a 10-year strategy running to 2030. It sets end-of-strategy outcome targets to reduce the share of adults with unmet literacy needs (PIAAC Level 1 or below) from 18% to 7% by 2030, alongside reductions in unmet numeracy needs from 25% to 12% and in adults without basic digital skills from 47% to 20%. The strategy is coordinated by SOLAS and delivered primarily through Education and Training Boards and community partners. The forthcoming National Digital & AI Strategy (NDAIS) soon to be published by the Department of an Taoiseach will set out our ambition and vision to 2030 for Ireland to remain a digital leader in an increasingly competitive global environment. The Skills dimension of the NDAIS will continue to align with the Digital Decade Policy Programme at EU level. The current EU targets - 9.6% of digital specialists in total employment and 80% of 16 to 75 years old with basic digital skills - are currently being re-examined by the European Commission. In relation to the green transition, Green Skills 2030 identified the demand for skills related to the shift to renewable energy in sectors such as construction and built environment, engineering, energy, and manufacturing. The Green Skills 2030 Implementation Plan outlines specific objectives and actions to be progressed by Further Education and Training in collaboration with key partners. There have been over 21,300 enrolments in NZEB/ Retrofit courses since the first centre opened in 2020. Furthermore, the Offshore Wind Skills Action Plan addresses identified skills shortages in 33 roles required for the development of offshore wind and provides recommendations on how to address these gaps. The Department is shortly to launch the updated Careers in Construction Action Plan,which will continue efforts to increase the number of people employed in the construction sector as part of the work of meeting key housing and infrastructure building targets. The Department is also implementing a comprehensive, cross-sectorMMC Action Planto support the greater adoption of MMC. Finally, the new FET Strategy (2026-2030) Creating Futures is planned for launch in the coming weeks and sets out the overarching policy direction for the FET system for the next 5 years. This third national FET Strategy provides a framework for the development of the FET System, guiding how FET is planned, funded, supported and delivered on the ground.
