Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 October 2025
734. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the work on increasing the number of craft apprenticeships, given how crucial these are in meeting our national and housing retrofit targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53507/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to thank Deputy Currie for raising this important question.
This Government is focused on equipping Ireland’s workforce with the skills needed to deliver new housing, drive retrofitting projects, and meet Ireland’s infrastructural priorities under the National Development Plan.
Workers are needed across different skills levels and the apprenticeship model is an invaluable part of the overall tertiary response to these requirements.
Since the Department’s establishment, investment in apprenticeship training has grown substantially. DFHERIS secured a significant investment of €77.4 million into the apprenticeship system in Budget 2025. This is the single largest investment in core apprenticeship funding since the formation of the Department in 2020, an increase of 84% since then.
Annual registrations in craft apprenticeships have risen by 63%, from 4,377 in 2020 to 7,113 in 2024. Over the same period, the total number of apprentices in construction and related fields has grown by 45%, from 17,183 to 24,974. This underpins the value of this training route at a time of near-full employment and high demand for construction skills.
Recognising the need to incentivise employers my Department’s investment into apprenticeships includes an employer grant of €2,000 per year for consortia-led apprenticeships, as well as a gender-based bursary of €2,666 that is available to employers who hire apprentices in programmes where there is greater than 80% representation of a single gender.
Next year will see the launch of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2026-2030. A key commitment in the Programme for Government, it will have a headline target of 12,500 new apprentice registrations per year by 2030 and two-thirds of these will be in craft and construction-related programmes. Stakeholder consultations on the new Plan are to begin shortly.
To further support this momentum, a concerted effort is being made to attract more people into the craft trades through cross-partner campaigns.
The Building Heroes peer-to-peer social media campaign is changing perceptions of careers in construction among the 15–25-year-olds and features a number of trades, including a Plumber and Electrician. A Careers in Construction documentary has been produced and shared with second-level schools nationwide, while the National Apprenticeship Office’s Facts, Faces, Futures campaign is promoting apprenticeships to girls.
I remain committed to ensuring that the apprenticeship system is robust, responsive, and ready to meet the evolving skills needs of Ireland’s economy.
