Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
1337. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total number of craft apprenticeship registrations in each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37351/26]
View answer1338. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total number of individuals undertaking craft apprenticeships currently in years one and two of their training, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37352/26]
View answer1339. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for a nationwide breakdown of all craft apprenticeships in the construction sector, with details on the number of students who are in year one and year two, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37353/26]
View answer1344. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which the process for registering as an apprentice works; when the application process opens; when do apprenticeships usually start; the length of time each phase lasts; the average total length of an apprenticeship before qualification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37358/26]
View answer1345. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of employers currently registered as offering craft apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37359/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1337 to 1339, inclusive, 1344 and 1345 together.
Apprentices are employees, and all apprenticeship programmes are undertaken under a contract of employment. Within two weeks of an apprentice commencing employment, the employer must submit an application to an Education and Training Board for the registration of the apprentice with SOLAS. Registrations are ongoing throughout the year. Employers must be approved by SOLAS before employing apprentices. Both apprentices and employers must comply with the SOLAS Apprenticeship Code of Practice.
To become an apprentice in Ireland, you must be at least 16 years of age. 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 227 weeks in 2025, down from 239 weeks in 2024. This includes off-the-job training phases, 2, 4 and 6, which for most craft apprenticeships amount to 44 weeks in total.
At the end of 2025, there was a total of 10,359 apprentice employers. This represented a 16% increase in apprentice employers since 2022. As of 15 May 2026, the number of craft employers 7,834. It should be noted that the number of apprentice employers changes as apprentices leave and join the system so this figure is given at a point in time.
Annual apprenticeship registrations, including craft and consortia-led, have grown by 78% in recent years, rising from 5,326 in 2020 to 9,461 in 2025, while the apprenticeship population has grown 59%, from 19,630 in 2020 to 31,165 in 2025.
Craft apprenticeship registration figures for 2024-to date are set out, by year, in the below table.
|
Year |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 (to end-April) |
|
Craft Apprenticeship registrations |
7,113 |
7,147 |
2,343 |
As of 15 May 2026, the live apprentice population figures for craft apprentices in years one and two of their training are outlined in the below table. As apprenticeship is live employment, the data shown here is specific to the date it is extracted. It’s also important to note that the years of training do not necessarily align with off-the-job training phases.
|
Year of Training |
Current Live Apprentice Population Figures |
|
Year 1 |
8,856 |
|
Year 2 |
7,743 |
|
Total Number |
16,599 |
In regard to construction and construction related programmes, there are currently 11,150 apprentices in Year 1 and Year 2 of these programmes. The following link provides details on the number of students who are in year one and year two in each programme. To provide a more comprehensive view, this data covers both craft and consortia apprenticeships.
Both apprentices and employers must comply with the SOLAS Apprenticeship Code of Practice.
