As part of the national push to attract more young people into apprenticeships, the government today announced capital funding of over €7.5 million to expand and modernise the current apprenticeship system.
The investment will go towards Ireland’s nine institutes of technology and the newly formed Technological University Dublin to improve training in sustainable technologies and to provide new equipment for craft apprenticeships.
The funding will also support the rollout of new syllabuses in areas such as plumbing, carpentry, brickwork, motor painting and decorating, vehicle body repair, fitting, toolmaking and wood manufacturing and finishing.
The appetite for apprenticeship and traineeship programmes has soared in recent years, as the government has sought to entice greater numbers of school-leavers down more practical further education routes. According to Minister for Education Joe McHugh, there has been an 80 per cent increase in uptake of apprenticeships between 2015 and 2018. Today there are over 16,000 people in apprenticeships across the country.
This new round of funding will help institutes to train apprentices in new sustainable and renewable techniques, such as solar and wind energy, and energy efficient construction methods and materials. In a press statement, McHugh said: “Ensuring that our young people and those retraining have access to cutting edge equipment and the latest thinking on sustainability is key to further developing this increasingly-popular option for training and progression.”
This year’s budget allocated €142 million for apprenticeships, an increase of 16 per cent on the previous year. The move to increase investment in the area follows plans to ensure jobs in Ireland’s future economy, as outlined in the national Project Ireland 2040 strategy.
This latest boost to targeted segments of higher education comes amid a long funding crisis that has plagued the sector for several years. Higher education institutes across the country are struggling to modernise and meet increasing numbers of students annually, with last year having marked a record high of 232,000 students enrolled in higher education. The Cassells report, published in 2016, stated that €600 million investment per year would be necessary to ensure the survival of Irish universities.
