Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 25 Jun 2024

Will the Minister of State update us on his progress in addressing the current challenges in the craft apprenticeship system? We are at the end of the leaving certificate examinations - hence a bit of a change in the weather - and young people are looking forward to what they may try to do later in life. One of the things that appeals is apprenticeships. That is a welcome decision to make, but we know there are challenges. Will the Minister of State address those?

The Department continues to oversee the implementation of a plan put in place by the national apprenticeship office to significantly increase apprenticeship capacity and respond to the rise in craft apprenticeship registrations that are a result of the buoyant construction sector. The number of craft apprentices waiting for six months or longer for phase 2 of their job training has decreased by 42% since the implementation of the plan, from 5,319 in October 2023 to 3,071 in May 2024. Craft apprenticeships are designed to take 48 months. Of the 25 craft apprenticeship programmes, electrical instrumentation and pipe fitting are the two programmes taking significantly longer to complete, affecting a maximum of 300 apprentices.

The national apprenticeship office continues its focus on speeding up the completion of these programmes. Significant resources have been invested in the apprenticeship system - €64 million allocated in budget 2024 and €17 million of capital investment in 2023 - to support staff and other operational expenditure required to expand apprenticeship provision in current facilities; to help to develop new facilities; and to purchase required equipment. The national recruitment campaign, led by the national apprenticeship office, has resulted in 61 new instructor posts, in addition to the 80 instructor posts which were converted from fixed-term to permanent contracts, supporting retention. The capacity of education and training boards, ETBs, to deliver apprenticeship places has grown by 38% since the end of 2023 from 5,600 places in December 2023 to more than 7,500 in May 2024. This is a substantial increase in a short period, reflecting an entire apprenticeship system responding to this priority. It remains our priority to maintain this momentum, continue growing the apprenticeship system and ensure there will be enough training places for current and future skills needs.

I agree with the Minister of State that we want to see a growth in craft apprenticeships. That is what we are both looking for. Previously when this was discussed, one of the big things that was said about the apprenticeship system is that it is employer led. One of the biggest employers in the State is the public service. Sometimes, people would be forgiven for thinking only the private sector can employ people when we discuss this. However, the biggest employer in the State is the State itself. Let us take the local authorities as an example. Until the 1980s, local authorities built public housing with direct labour and created good apprenticeship opportunities for plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers, electricians and so on. Does the Minister of State know how many apprentices they have at this moment? It is not a trick question. The reality is that data is not collected centrally.

As it is a priority question, the Deputy will have the opportunity to contribute again. The matter is topical. The Deputy mentioned that it is leaving certificate examination time and that people are looking at their various options. People will look at the time apprenticeships take to complete. Two programmes are unfortunately taking longer than 48 months. The duration of craft apprenticeship programmes is four years or 48 months and two are taking longer, electrical instrumentation and pipe fitting. Electrical instrumentation is taking 55 months, which is a seven-month overrun although there has been a reduction since April when it was 11 months. We are reducing that. Similarly we have an issue with pipe fitting. We are putting a sustained focus on that because it is a significant part of the construction sector, as the Deputy will be aware. Historically we have had an issue with workshops on pipe fitting. We are increasing the capacity at the Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board. In respect of the numbers the Deputy-----

I apologise. For some reason I thought I had two minutes so I was in the middle of my contribution when I had to finish speaking.

Let us look at the local authorities as an example. At the moment, information on how many apprenticeships there are is not collected centrally. The reality is that in most of our cities, maintenance of our existing housing stock is a huge issue. I contacted all the local authorities - I had to write to them multiple times - and I learned that of the more than 31,000 employees in our local authorities, only 47 are identified as apprentices and Dublin City Council has 37 of those. Of 31 local authorities, 25 do not have a single craft apprentice. If we are serious about increasing the number of apprentices we are taking on board to be able to meet the targets the Government has set, the Government needs to look at local authorities bringing on apprentices, with a view to regional balance and so forth and in respect of what we need to get done in our local housing stock and meeting the targets we have set.

I will request updated information on the numbers. The Deputy has researched some of her own numbers. Suffice it to say that an integral part of our action plan for apprenticeships is that they be rolled out across the Civil Service and public service. That includes local authorities. The Department wants to see that action executed by our local authorities, by the Civil Service and by the public service, but the Deputy must remember - she raised the example of craft apprentices in the local authority sector - that the notion of an apprenticeship is that people earn as they learn. As well as the off-the-job training, employers act as tutors or people who are imparting knowledge. If the local authorities do not have particular knowledge or skill sets in-house - many of them now buy that in by way of contractors, as the Deputy will be aware - they may not be in a position to provide some apprenticeships. We can get that further information for the Deputy.

Will the Minister provide an update on progress in addressing challenges around student accommodation? There are many people finishing their leaving certificate and looking forward to September but they and their families are worried about the cost of what lies ahead, depending on where they receive the offer of a course and whether they will be able to find a place to live, let alone afford it.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am aware of the difficulties faced by many students in accessing affordable and suitable student accommodation. The Government is committed to addressing this challenge. This morning, the Cabinet approved the drafting of amendments to the residential tenancies (student-specific accommodation) Bill via an emergency Bill which will deal with the matter of 51-week leases. We gave approval to publish with the intention of the Bill being passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas during the summer session. I look forward to the help of the Opposition in getting that done with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I thank the Minister and his officials for the significant work done in expediting this process to safeguard students from being forced to undertake extended 51-week leases and excessive payments to secure a tenancy. These measures will provide assurances to students and their families on costs when planning for higher education.

The Government has approved my Department's long-term policy, including the provision of State support to stimulate the development of new student accommodation. Capital investment of €100 million was announced in April for the delivery of 1,000 student accommodation beds across UCD, Maynooth University and DCU. The long-term vision, which is a key deliverable of the Government’s Housing for All strategy, will ensure that availability of accommodation does not act as a barrier to higher education.

In addition to increasing supply of student accommodation through State support, this vision will see us reducing the cost of delivery through the development of standardised design guidance and the promotion of efficient use of existing stock and vacancies, while supporting balanced regional development. The consultancy appointment for this work is currently being finalised by the Department on my behalf.

We will continue to support digs accommodation. The role and provision of supply from the private sector in campus accommodation locations should also be recognised and continued. Officials in the Department are working intensively on progressing proposals from the technological university sector. I look forward to receiving a report on this work in the coming weeks with a view to progressing a number of proposals to the next stage in the near future.

Will the Minister explain what he said about the 51-week leases? The Taoiseach, who was the Minister's predecessor, said in the House on multiple occasions he would bring this before the Dáil before the summer recess. I asked him if it could be done by ministerial order or in some other way that would hasten the process because we do not want people to be locked in at this point for the coming September. However, he said it had to be done through primary legislation. Is the Minister telling the Chamber it will be ready by the summer recess and we can ensure people are not bound into 51-week contracts this September? The USI has continually raised this issue and people have been in contact with me on it. It seems to me, from one person who contacted me, that it is not just a practice in privately owned accommodation but is creeping into the university accommodation sector. It would be the thin end of the wedge.

This is the second memo that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and I have brought on this issue. The first was to seek Cabinet approval. Today, the Government approved the priority drafting of the residential tenancies (student-specific accommodation) Bill. This will be welcomed by Deputies on both sides of the House, including the previous Minister and now Taoiseach, as well as myself. It will only pass into law if both Houses are able to deal with it before the Oireachtas rises for the summer. Even though it is much-needed legislation that everybody will welcome, particularly parents and students, we will need the co-operation of the Whips and the Business Committee to make sure it is truncated or done as quickly as possible and this advantageous legislation to students across the country can be enacted and in legal effect by the time the Dáil rises for the summer.

When can we see it? The first and most important thing is for us to see the legislation. We all want to stop this practice and ensure people are not locked into 51-week leases. As soon as we can see it and make sure it does what it says on the tin, we can welcome it. We need to end the practice of 51-week leases because it has affected many students. Is it the Minister's view that he can get it passed by the summer recess if there is co-operation and everybody is in agreement? Does he think, though we were told it had to be primary legislation, it can be done within two weeks?

It has to be primary legislation. The Attorney General advised the Cabinet this morning of his views with regard to it. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and I are confident it can be enacted before the Dáil and Seanad rise for the summer but it will require the co-operation of the Whips. The Deputy will see the legislation as soon as it is published. It is not published yet. When it is, we will ask the consent of the Houses, given the importance of it, to waive pre-legislative scrutiny and bring it straight into the House to be dealt with as quickly as possible. It is a priority for the Department. If we do not deal with it in the short time we have, it will discommode students and their parents in September. The Department of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is the lead Department because it is housing legislation. He hopes to have it done as soon as possible and if we get the agreement of the Whips and spokespeople, we will move to enact it as quickly as we can thereafter.

Providing training opportunities for prospective learners and career changers in County Donegal is key to ensuring the north-west regional economy has access to the talent and skills it needs to fully realise its economic and societal potential. Donegal Education and Training Board has apprentice training facilities in Gaoth Dobhair and Letterkenny. Training is provided in key skills areas such as electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery, metal fabrication, motor mechanics, and electronic security systems.

Since 2021, our Department has allocated over €1 million in capital investment to the Donegal Education and Training Board towards equipment and works. Workshop facilities have grown by over 40% since 2021, from seven to ten. This includes two electrical workshops and a metal fabrication workshop this year. Additional instructors have been brought in, increasing from seven in 2021 to 17 in 2024. This has enabled phase 2 training capacity to increase by 100% from 190 in 2021 to 390 this year. Capacity is expected to increase further to 420 in 2025. ATU Donegal currently provides phases 4 and 6 off-the-job electrical apprenticeship training. Capacity in ATU Donegal has grown by almost 170% from 144 in the 2022-23 academic year to 384 in the 2024-25 academic year. In the same period, the number of instructor staff has increased from five to 12.

Over the course of 2025, ATU Donegal is planning to hire a further 17 staff to expand provision for electrical and start provision for refrigeration and air conditioning, metal fabrication, industrial electrical engineering and civil engineering. As it is responsive to future skills needs, it is also working on the development of a new apprenticeship in marine engineering, while Donegal ETB is working on a new welding apprenticeship.

I thank the Minister of State for the outline of developments in Donegal. That is welcome in relation to ongoing apprenticeships. There is a need for apprenticeships to be accessed locally and for all aspects of the training to be carried out locally.

Apprentices have had to travel to Cork, Dundalk and Dublin to do the college part of their apprenticeship. It would be useful if they could stay in Donegal and do their full training there. That would lead to an improved apprenticeship service.

I welcome the announcement the Minister of State made in relation to the recruitment of staff for ATU Donegal to develop its training service. I hope to see that continue. Are there plans to increase the number of apprenticeships available and extend them to other areas?

In relation to the craft apprenticeship at ATU, I reiterate that phases 4 and 6 capacity for electrical apprenticeships has grown from 144 in the 2022-23 academic year to 384 this year. As I outlined, we are increasing capacity to deliver across electrical, refrigeration and metal fabrication at both Letterkenny and Killybegs.

Since the start of this session, we have been discussing mainly craft apprenticeships but we also have consortia-led, new apprenticeships. In Donegal, in 2025, the Atlantic Technological University plans to join as a collaborating partner in two new consortia programmes. The first is a bachelor of engineering in industrial electrical engineering and the co-ordinating provider is the Technological University of the Shannon. There will be a collaboration between the two technological universities. The second is a bachelor of engineering in civil engineering. Both of those will begin in September 2025.

I ask that urgent action be taken to ensure young people go into trades through apprenticeships given the deficit that exists. Will college placements be made available in a timely fashion and closer to home? Will additional night classes be introduced locally to facilitate young people who wish to go into the trades? There is an urgent need for blocklayers, plasterers, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, commercial and construction drivers, people with culinary skills for hotels, etc.

The number of apprentices in Ireland has grown significantly, from 17,800 in 2019 to over 27,000 today. However, our priority, consistent with the Deputy's question, is to make apprenticeships attractive for even more young people, given our skills and workforce needs under priority Government strategies.

The Department's Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 aims to promote apprenticeship as a route to valuable qualifications and high-quality jobs and careers. The National Apprenticeship Office is continuing to work with the Institute of Irish Guidance Counsellors to promote and increase awareness of apprenticeship in schools and with parents. World Skills Ireland, sponsored by the Department, is promoting skills-based careers and apprenticeship to over 30,000 second-level students from across the country.

The National Apprenticeship Office's, Facts, Faces, Futures, campaign highlighted the skills, talent and contributions made by female apprentices across Ireland. The Department developed and launched the careers in construction action plan in August 2023, including the Building Heroes peer-to-peer social media campaign to change perceptions of careers in construction, and a documentary of a day in the life of construction apprentices will be distributed to second-level schools across the country.

Apprenticeship scheduling is carried out on a national basis by co-ordinating providers and all efforts are made to schedule apprentices to their nearest available training location. If this is not possible, they will be called to the next nearest available location.

Apprentices are in full-time employment. Employers commit to release the apprentice for off-the-job training either on block or day release. As such, no evening provision is catered for in those circumstances.

Problems exist with the college placements. For example, one young fellow from Glenflesk has to wait approximately 18 months for a college placement. He and others are finding this disheartening, resulting in some of them giving up on their course, moving jobs and even emigrating. Can something be done to speed up this waiting time, especially in view of the fact that the country is crying out for tradespeople?

When apprentices get a college placement, they find they have to travel mid-term to places such as Waterford or Limerick where there is no accommodation available. Can the Minister of State ensure that night courses be put in place for some of these people to make sure they do not have to travel these awful distances and stay in the trades in which they began their apprenticeship? Otherwise, they will leave the country. This is posing a serious difficulty. Many apprentices are not finishing their apprenticeship. Instead of taking four years, some courses are taking six years or more for complete. This is not good enough.

As I said in earlier exchanges with other Deputies, the Department is aware of the challenges and backlogs. We have put significant resources into dealing with the backlog, which is falling significantly. We will continue to work on that.

I appreciate the Deputy's point regarding apprentices having to travel distances to training centres. We are working on this issue too and allocating significant resources to developing more training centres and hiring more instructors and tutors.

The Deputy asked about night classes. Apprenticeship programmes require the apprentice to be in full-time employment with the sponsoring company. In order for the company to be registered as an approved employer, it undertakes a commitment to release the apprentice for his or her off-the-job training, which is held either in an education and training board or a technological university as a day-time programme. Owing to the structure of the programme and the agreement of the employer to release the apprentice to attend training, there is no evening provision available for any of the off-the-job phases at present.

I asked that question because I thought evening provision could help. It is a fact that these young fellas are giving up. I have even had employers on to me asking what is wrong and why college placements cannot be hurried on because this is delaying their apprenticeship and making their course way longer. Employers need apprentices. This fella in Glenflesk was told a month ago he will be waiting 18 months. That is not good enough. We will lose these young people who we need. We cannot afford to see them emigrating to other countries where they may get their apprenticeship and become qualified much easier. I ask the Minister of State to ensure this does not continue and the problem is sorted out.

We appreciate the fact that more young people are going for the trades because we certainly need them. Many of the fellas we have are getting old and worn out. Many of them are still working at 70 years of age and no longer able for it. I ask the Minister of State to hurry on and deal with this problem

The Deputy's suggestion has merit and we will highlight it in the Department. As I said, the Deputy should bear in mind we have increased the capacity of the State to deliver off-the-job training. That came at a cost and there are challenges in relation to that in terms of recruiting adequate numbers of suitably qualified tutors and trainers. They were asked to take on an additional workload to address the backlog issue and, to their credit, they did so. Going a step further by asking them to do this work out of regular hours in the evening time would be a big change for them but it is something we can discuss. I cannot give the Deputy a commitment in this regard now but I thank him for raising this interesting suggestion.