Ireland has seen a record number of apprenticeships being registered in 2023, new figures have revealed, with “significant numbers” of these being in the area of construction.
According to a Department of Higher Education statement released today, there were a record 8,712 new registrations in 2023, with 6,588 of these – 75% – being in the area of crafts.
Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said that apprenticeships were “crucial” if the government wanted to achieve its housing and climate goals.
“Increasing the number of apprentices and apprenticeships is crucial if we want to meet the targets this Government has set under Housing for All and the Climate Action Plan,” he said.
“We know we need thousands more workers in some of our key craft sectors and to help achieve our climate goals.
“The future of this country will be safeguarded by our skilled apprentices so we must put all the tools at the disposal of young people to avail of these opportunities and get trained in areas where there is need for an increase in workers.”
Harris added that the government was “very close” to reaching that target.
“By 2025 we set the target of 10,000 new apprentices every year, and we are very close to reaching that target with close to 9,000 last year,” he said.
“We want to make apprenticeships as accessible and available as possible. That requires us constantly altering and changing what we can offer to people.”
He continued on to say that this includes paramedics, social workers, roofing and cladding, and a Level 8 and Masters in Civil Engineering.
“The Action Plan for Apprenticeships commits us to reaching 10,000 new registrations every single year. This will ensure we can meet that target and maybe earlier than we planned.”
Minister Harris also confirmed 17 new apprenticeship programmes being proposed for this year, including four in the area of construction, while a further six in areas such as firefighting and paramedics are “in development.”
Dr Mary-Liz Trant, Director of the National Apprenticeship Office, said that at the end of this year, there will be over 80 national apprenticeship programmes available across various industries in Ireland.
“The overall apprentice population is 27,470, of which 2,272 are women,” she said.
“Also, the number of phase 2 craft apprentices delayed in their training has dropped for a second month in a row with 3,919 apprentices waiting 6 months or more as at the end of December.”