Kildare Senator Fiona O’Loughlin has welcomed the launch of a new five-year Apprenticeship Action Plan. The Action Plan sets out a five-year strategy to deliver on the programme for Government commitment of reaching 10,000 new apprentice registrations per year by 2025. “This is a plan that is close to my heart, “said the Kildare Senator who has spoken about it on several occasions as chair of the Education Committee. “I produced a report and I am happy to see that our recommendations are in the plan launched today.”
According to the report the number of female apprentices is also on the rise with 26 reported in 2015 to 1017 by the end of 2020.
The plan will also:
- Create a new National Apprenticeship Office to drive reforms
- A new grant for employers, with a top-up grant for areas of identified national skills needs and/or targeted recruitment of underrepresented groups such as female apprentices, lone-parents, people with disabilities or members of the Travelling community
- Non-financial supports targeted to SMEs in areas such as recruitment and supervision of apprentices
- Set targets for the public sector to take on apprentices and to create cross-sector apprentices
- Examine the potential development of new cross-border apprentice programmes and support apprentice engagement in international programmes such as Erasmus.
“I also hosted a number of public meetings on options for school leavers including apprenticeships in Newbridge, Athy and Portarlington and will be organising a virtual one soon with Minister Niall Collins for more details email fiona.oloughlin@oireachtas.ie or phone 0851024120,” she added.