Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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10. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects to make extra provision for apprenticeships or third level access routes for those with a technical expertise who wish to improve their skills and options; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40049/24]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I wish to zoom in on the degree to which the relevant vacancies have been identified throughout industry, both in the public and private sector, with the view to matching up the qualifications and identifying the precise areas in which weaknesses have appeared and the degree to which it is anticipated to be able to address them.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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In budget 2025, we made a significant investment of €77.4 million to grow apprenticeship, a valued option for those who wish to gain a skill or improve their skills across many sectors of the economy. There are currently 77 national apprenticeship programmes available from levels 5 to 10 of the national framework of qualifications, NFQ, across a diverse range of skills from plumbing to sales to cybersecurity. Opportunities exist to advance to further levels in the NFQ. For example, in apprenticeship, there is the opportunity to progress from a civil engineering technician level 6 apprenticeship to a civil engineering level 7 apprenticeship.

We know from the OECD skills strategy for Ireland that the onset of digitisation, climate change and demographic change means the Irish workforce must upskill and reskill throughout their careers. My priority is to ensure the education system can adapt and support the skills needs of the economy into the future. In budget 2025, we announced a €20 million skills package responding to the requirement highlighted in the OECD review of Ireland's skills strategy for investment in workforce development with a particular focus on skills priorities such as digitisation, artificial intelligence, modern methods of construction and offshore wind energy. Micro-qualifications at NFQ levels 4, 5 and 6 are being made available through the SOLAS Skills to Advance initiative, which assists small-and-medium-sized enterprises in developing workforce skills.

The tertiary education system plays a central role in ensuring our graduates from higher education, further education and training and from apprenticeship are equipped with the essential vocational, professional and transversal skills and competencies that will equip them for success in work.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for that reply. To what degree have the individual shortages of skilled operatives been identified precisely? In order to meet that market requirement, it is absolutely essential we can identify the precise number of, for example, crane operators and to what degree they are required at the present time. Have we enough or nearly enough crane operators, or are we far short of the target? The same applies to a whole series of other areas. The Minister of State has listed a number of them. For example, how available are electricians now? Are they readily available to industry? Do we have major shortfalls that are identifiable and can be remedied?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We have two supplementary questions, the first of which is in the name of Deputy Ó Murchú.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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To follow on from Deputy Durkan, I recently visited the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence, Dundalk. We have the robotics and automation apprenticeship which, obviously, is an absolute necessity. We know the idea behind cybersecurity. We have 3D concrete printing. There is also huge interaction between industry and the advanced manufacturing centre, which is followed up by the work that is done in the likes of the Ó Fiaich institute and the Drogheda Institute of Further Education, DIFE. We need to have an overall solution and a fit-for-purpose regional skills and training centre. There is a need to rectify cross-Border issues around certification. The Minister of State has the means to do that.

As I am dealing with Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, LMETB, one of its employees, namely, a young female teacher who lives fairly close to me just across the Border in the North, received bad news today. Maybe the Minister of State will be able to use his good offices in this regard. She is an Irish-language teacher, who studied Irish along with politics and society and civil, social and political education. When she went for registration with the Teaching Council, it came back without Irish certification. Unfortunately, the LMETB has contacted her to tell her that if this is not rectified by Friday, 11 October, the fixed-term contract will be terminated and she will lose her job. While my office has already made contact, if the Minister of State can follow up on this, I can provide him with that information. It would be absolutely vital. I will also follow up with the Minister, Deputy O’Donovan, in respect of his meeting with the personal assistants who work in Dunboyne College of Further Education, the Ó Fiaich institute and Cavan Institute because that is absolutely necessary.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to flag an issue with the Minister of State, which I have raised previously with his colleague, the then-Minister of the Department and now Taoiseach, Deputy Harris, in relation to the craft certificate. Since the craft certificates have come on stream, I have been dealing for almost one year with an issue a constituent of mine, Paschal Ryan, has in this regard. When he applied for his craft certificate, it was brought to his attention, or at least it was put on the record, that he had not passed an exam 38 years ago. This is a man who is a qualified electrician and was practising as an electrician for 38 years. He was done out of a job with the stoke of a pen or with this piece of information, if it is accurate. He has not worked as an electrician in the past year. While he is trying to resolve this issue himself by way of exams and so on, it has come to his attention there are other people in this situation. This goes back to when the exams were under An Chomhairle Oiliúna, which is a good long time ago. It seems to be difficult to access the records.

The man in question makes the point that he finished his senior year in training. How could he have done that if he had not succeeded in his junior year? There is an issue here. I will send the Minister of State correspondence on this matter. The man was working as an electrician but was done out of a job. The issue concerning the craft card seems to have arisen in several cases.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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The clinic is open, and the Deputy can send on all his details. We will endeavour to assist all the aforementioned people.

Deputy Durkan asked about a skills gaps. I referred previously to our regional skills forums and regional skills managers. The regional skills forums are stakeholder groups that our regional skills managers meet in their respective areas regularly. They are representative of the employers and various sectors in which they operate. They identify skills needs and deficits. It is a bottom-up exercise. Deputy Durkan should note that an OECD review of Ireland’s skills system was carried out in 2023. There were several key findings, and I will undertake to have the Department furnish them to him.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. House-building technology has changed in recent years. The building of structures in factories now takes place to a great extent. Can the Minister of State be sure that we have sufficient numbers available to use their skills to good advantage to support this part of the industry and maximise output in the area, which is obviously one we all have concerns about?

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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It is a job of work for our various ETBs, SOLAS, technological universities and colleges of further education and training to constantly identify skills deficits and gaps in the labour market. The Deputy referred to the construction sector. Right across the country, we have our education and training service providers. Training covers modern methods of construction and green skills initiatives related to the sector’s requirements and obligations to address climate change. All of this is under continual review. There are gaps and deficits, but we are turning out graduates and upskilling and reskilling people every day of the week through all our training and service providers. It is the job of the Government and the Department to ensure this happens continually.