Written answer
Apprenticeship Programmes
The Minister outlined Cork ETB apprenticeship registrations through June 2026, highlighted a new social care programme, and reaffirmed plans to reach 12,500 annual registrations by 2030.
4161. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of apprenticeship registrations in County Cork in each of the years 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026, by apprenticeship type; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57016/26]
Comment on this
Investment in apprenticeship delivery has more than doubled since the establishment of my Department in 2020, with the annual budget reaching €415 million in 2026. Driven by this investment, our apprenticeship system has grown significantly. Overall registrations increased by 78%, from 5,326 in 2020 to 9,461 in 2025, while craft registrations rose by 63%, from 4,377 to 7,147, over the same period.
Apprenticeship programmes in Ireland operate as part of a national system. Apprentices are registered to the relevant Education and Training Board (ETB) based on their employer’s location, rather than where an apprentice is from, lives, or attends training. This means that an apprentice living in Co. Cork may be registered with, and attending training at, any of Ireland's 16 ETBs.
The table at the link below details the apprenticeship registrations for Cork ETB at year-end 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. 2026 registrations figures are included up to the end of June 2026. The figures, as supplied by SOLAS, are broken down by apprenticeship programme.
Together with Ministers Harkin and Foley I launched a new Social Care apprenticeship programme in Cork earlier this year. The three-year, Level 8 programme, delivered by University College Cork and Munster Technological University, combines paid employment with academic study and was developed to help address growing demand for qualified social care professionals. This programme represents a significant expansion of apprenticeship opportunities in the Cork region and provides a new pathway into the social care profession.
It remains my priority to continue growing and developing the apprenticeship system, in line with the Programme for Government commitment to increase annual registrations to 12,500 by 2030, with two-thirds in craft and construction-related areas. This will be supported by a new Action Plan for Apprenticeship for 2026–2030, to be published later this year.
Cork ETB Region Registration 2022-end June 2026