Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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551. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of apprenticeship registrations in the construction sector by type in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8181/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025, sets a target of 10,000 annual apprentice registrations by 2025. In 2021 there were a record 8,607 registrations- up from 6,177 for 2019, the last pre-COVID full year, and the highest annual registrations since the 2006 figure of 8,306.

The Government is committed under the Action Plan to working with employers to promote, enable and support the recruitment and training of apprentices. There is a very substantial allocation of resources to apprenticeships drawing on the resources provided by employers through the Training Levy into the National Training Fund. The budget allocation for 2022 is €206m.

In 2021, 6,955 registrations were in craft apprenticeships, and largely in the construction sector, which will be vital for realising the ambition set out in Housing for All. There were 1,652 registrations on the newer, post-2016 programmes. At the end of 2021, the overall apprentice population was 24,212.

Below is a table showing the number of apprenticeship registrations in the construction sector by type in 2021.