Apprenticeship programmes in Ireland operate as part of a national system. Apprentices are registered to the relevant Education and Training Board (ETB) based on their employer’s location, rather than where an apprentice is from, lives, or attends training. This means that an apprentice living in Co. Clare may be registered with, and attending training at, any of Ireland's 16 ETBs. As a result, specific information for Clare apprentices, including a list of the trades and programmes most represented and under-represented among Clare apprentices, cannot be provided.
Of the 30,362 apprentices currently in the system as of 30 June 2026, 2,293 are registered with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board. 728 apprentices registered with LCETB in 2025, 733 in 2024 and 642 in 2023.
LCETB offers training across a wide range of apprenticeship programmes, including Accounting Technician, Aircraft Mechanics, Brick & Stonelaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Electrical, Electrical Instrumentation, Hairdressing, Mechanical Automation & Maintenance Fitting (MAMF), Metal Fabrication, Motor Mechanics, Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM), Plumbing, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Toolmaking, and Wood Manufacturing & Finishing. Training for these programmes is delivered across a number of LCETB training centres in Limerick and Clare.
I have prioritised investment in apprenticeship delivery, which has more than doubled since the establishment of my Department in 2020, with the annual budget reaching €415 million in 2026. This investment has supported substantial growth in the apprenticeship system. Since 2020, annual apprentice registrations have increased by 78%, from 5,326 in 2020 to 9,461 in 2025. At the same time, the number of apprenticeship programmes has expanded from 58 in 2020 to nearly 90 programmes currently, covering a broad range of occupations from ICT, to social care, as well as traditional crafts such as plumbing and electrical.
The Government remains committed to further growing the apprenticeship system, with a target of achieving 12,500 new registrations annually by 2030. My Department will publish the next Action Plan for Apprenticeship later this year, which will consider how best to grow apprenticeship and other work-based learning opportunities.
It is important to note that funding for apprenticeship delivery is determined through the annual Estimates process.
