Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 September 2024
848. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the projected annual savings to the State if the employer apprenticeships grant were abolished. [36628/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraFor employers who were not benefiting from the indirect support afforded to craft apprenticeship in the form of training allowances, an annual employer grant of €2,000 per apprentice was introduced from January 2022. It is projected that the total cost in 2024 will range from €6,500,000 - €7,000,000. Hence, abolishing this grant would result in approximately €7,000,000 in annual savings for the State.
The employer grant extended financial support to all apprentice employers for the first time, responding to Key Deliverable 4 in my Department's Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 seeking to address barriers to employer participation in the system and in particular through financial measures which improve the cost-benefit argument for employing apprentices.
This Government's priority is ensuring that the right supports, including financial supports, are available to incentivise employers to participate in an apprenticeship system that delivers a highly skilled workforce to maintaining productivity, competitiveness and sustainable growth in the economy.
