175. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current number of registered apprentices by apprenticeship programme in north Dublin; the measures being taken by his Department, SOLAS and the education and training boards to expand apprenticeship opportunities and employer participation in north Dublin; the number of apprenticeship places expected to become available in the region over the next three years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34812/26]

I welcome the Deputy's question on this, only this morning we were in the Deputy’s constituency in Maryfield College launching Women Shaking up the Future: Facts, Faces, Futures campaign, which focuses on promoting apprenticeship pathways to young women and increasing female participation in apprenticeships. Apprenticeships today are modern, flexible and highly valued pathways that allow people to earn while they learn and to build strong, long-term careers. They are not a second option, they are a first-choice route into the future.

We now have 82 apprenticeships and growing, covering everything from plumbing and engineering to ICT, healthcare, finance and beyond. More women than ever are choosing this path - I’m delighted to say female participation in apprenticeships is on the rise. This growth demonstrates broader systemic change, as more employers adopt inclusive recruitment approaches and recognise apprenticeships as a powerful way to find and develop talent. The Department and I are committed to expanding apprenticeship opportunities nationally, supported by a €79 million investment in Budget 2026, and to meeting the Government target of 12,500 new apprenticeship registrations annually by 2030.

Of the 31,000 apprentices nationally, 7,789 are registered in Dublin: 3,407 with City of Dublin ETB and 4,382 with Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB. Apprentices are registered based on their employer’s nearest ETB rather than by local region, therefore, the requested information for north Dublin is not available.

Measures to support employer participation include a €2,000 annual employer grant for consortia-led apprenticeships, State-funded off-the-job training for craft apprenticeships, a €2,000 grant under the Traveller Apprentice Incentivisation Programme, a €2,666 gender bursary, and supports through the One More Job initiative.

My department will launch the next Action Plan for Apprenticeship later this year, which will consider how to grow apprenticeship and other work based learning opportunities, and how best to incentivise employer participation.