In recent years, over a thousand apprentices in fields like bricklaying and carpentry have withdrawn from their programmes, according to information presented to the Dáil. Pearse Doherty, the finance spokesperson for Sinn Féin reported a fraught situation in the apprenticeship system, with learners in bricklaying, plumbing, and carpentry taking up to two additional years to finish their training owing to a shortage of academic or “off the job” instruction. With around 9,000 construction apprentices in limbo waiting to complete their training, he mentioned that every one in six, or over a thousand trainees, have quit during the past three years.
During a Leaders’ Questions session, he revealed that one apprentice reported waiting 21 months to progress to the fourth phase of his training. He disclosed that this apprentice felt exploited, doing equivalent work to a qualified fitter but receiving half the pay while struggling to survive. A fellow trainee, a father of three, had been waiting 18 months to start his phase-two “off the job” training. A further many were waiting two years for the same.
Doherty underscored that these were individuals who were keen to help solve the housing crisis, but due to the government’s negligence, their qualification process was drawn out. He compared the situation to a law or teaching student having their four-year course prolonged to six or even 6½ years, and questioned why this was seen as acceptable for trades like plumbing, bricklaying and carpentry. He put this challenge to Tánaiste Micheál Martin.
However, Martin refuted this, commenting that the high levels of construction output in the State, the highest across the EU, were not possible if the apprenticeship system was failing. He assured the Dáil that the government had not lost sight of the apprenticeship issue and that they were committed to decreasing the number of learners waiting six months or more for their off-the-job training, with particular focus on phase two.
The Tánaiste further clarified that a comprehensive strategic plan to tackle the backlog was established thanks to a collective effort from all key parties involved. By the conclusion of March, the problem had been significantly lessened. This involved bringing down the number of phase two apprentices to 3,347 and reducing phase four and phase six apprentices to just 95 and 18 respectively.