I propose to take Questions Nos. 929 and 930 together.
Construction workers are needed across different skills levels, and the apprenticeship system is a vital pathway into the sector. It is a priority is to ensure that the apprenticeship system is well equipped to continue to grow, respond to the skills needs of industry, and adapt to workforce challenges.
The total number of apprentices in construction and related fields has grown by 57% between 2020 and 2025, from 14,567 to 22,807, while construction and related registrations across the same fields rose by 69%, from 3,813 in 2020 to 6,428 in 2025. This underpins the value of this training route at a time of high employment and high demand for construction skills.
My Department does not centrally hold or model combined full-year training costs for craft or construction-related apprenticeships covering costs borne by the State, employers or sponsors, and apprentices themselves. These costs vary by employer, occupation, sector and individual circumstances. As such, my Department cannot provide the requested full unit cost by occupation or the estimated cost if all such costs were assumed by the State.
State expenditure supports the funding of off-the-job apprenticeship training, training allowances for craft apprentices during off-the-job phases, employer grants in respect of consortia-led apprenticeships, and the wider costs of programme delivery, including staffing, system administration and related supports. These costs are supported through the apprenticeship delivery budget, which is €415 million in 2026.
Apprenticeships are contracts of employment. Apprentices are paid a wage by their employer, subject to any applicable industrial relations agreements, rather than by the Department or its agencies. During their off-the-job training phases, craft apprentices receive State training allowances. In most sectors, these allowances are linked to minimum gross wage norms agreed through collective bargaining or underpinned by a Sectoral Employment Order.
The current weekly State training allowance rates are set out in the table below:
|
-
|
Electrical
|
Construction
|
Mech Building
|
Engineering
|
Motor
|
|
Year1 (Phase 2)
|
€357.24
|
€298.97
|
€347.49
|
€313.79
|
€251.46
|
|
Year 2 (Phase 4)
|
€459.42
|
€448.50
|
€521.04
|
€451.63
|
€377.57
|
|
Year 3 (Phase 6)
|
€663.39
|
€672.75
|
€781.56
|
€671.01
|
€566.34
|
|
Year 4
|
€816.66
|
€807.30
|
€937.95
|
€810.38
|
€679.62
|
These allowances are payable only for the duration of the relevant off-the-job training phases - for example, Phase 2 is generally 22 weeks for the majority of craft apprentices.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to grow apprenticeship registrations to at least 12,500 annually by 2030 and to develop a new Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2026–2030. In that context, the effectiveness of existing supports, including supports for apprentices and employers, will be considered as part of the development and implementation of the next Action Plan, which will be published later this year.
In addition to apprenticeship training, new entrants to the construction sector often undertake mandatory or industry-recognised training programmes administered through SOLAS. This includes the Safe Pass programme as well as certain Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) and Quarry Skills Certification Scheme (QSCS) programmes. The costs for these programmes are typically covered by either the individual participant or their employer, depending on employment arrangements and any funding supports that may be available. These costs can vary depending on the specific programme and provider.
In relation to construction-related courses in the higher education sector, higher education institutions are autonomous bodies responsible for their own academic and financial management, including decisions on curriculum development, student numbers and the allocation of resources within their organisations. As a result, the cost of providing a higher education course can vary significantly between institutions and between different courses, reflecting factors such as programme type, delivery requirements, staffing, facilities, research activity and student support services.
Higher education institutions are funded through a range of income sources, including State grants, tuition and fee income, competitive funding and commercial or private revenue streams. These combined sources of funding support the full range of institutional activities, including teaching, research and other supporting functions. Meeting the costs of provision is therefore a matter for each institution within the context of its overall operating budget and expenditure decisions.
In the case of publicly funded institutions, recurrent grant funding is provided through the Higher Education Authority (HEA) as a block grant to support teaching, research and associated activities. State funding is generally allocated at institutional level rather than on a per-student or per-discipline basis. The allocation of these resources within the institution, including across faculties, schools and programmes, is a matter for the institution itself. The total allocation for the higher education sector, including the National Training Fund Enterprise Focused Higher Education measure, is almost €1.856 billion.
Given the diversity of funding sources, the variation in costs across institutions and courses, and the autonomy institutions have in allocating resources across their activities, it is not possible to identify a single unit cost for the delivery of higher education or for the training of specific student cohorts, such as those undertaking construction-related courses.
