4195. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of registered apprentices in each apprenticeship programme for each of the past five years, broken down by occupation, location (county), age profile and gender; the completion rates achieved in each year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55945/26]

As Minister, I have prioritised investment in apprenticeship delivery, which has more than doubled since the establishment of my Department in 2020, with the annual budget reaching €415 million in 2026. Supported by this investment, Ireland’s 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. At the same time, the number of apprenticeship programmes has expanded from 58 in 2020 to 87 programmes to date.

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.

The available information provided by SOLAS is set out in the four tables at the links below.

Table 1 provides year-end registrations for each of the years 2021 to 2025, broken down by apprenticeship programme, employer Education and Training Board (ETB) region and gender. Apprenticeship programmes in Ireland operate as part of a national system. County-level data is not available, as apprentices are recorded against the relevant ETB region based on their employer’s location rather than by county.

Table 2 provides the percentage distribution of registrations by apprenticeship programme and age band for each of the years 2021 to 2025.

Table 3 provides a breakdown, by apprenticeship programme and gender, of the numbers who completed consortia-led apprenticeships in each of the years 2021 to 2025.

Table 4 provides a breakdown, by craft apprenticeship and gender, of the numbers of craft apprentices who received certification in each of the years 2021 to 2025.

A priority for Government is to ensure that apprentices continue to be adequately supported to engage in apprenticeship programmes. How to best support and promote participation for apprentices is an important consideration in the development of the new National Strategy for Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning 2026-2030, which I look forward to publishing later this year.

Table 1 - Apprentice Registrations by Programme, Employer ETB Region and Gender, 2021-2025

Table 2 - Apprentice Registrations by Programme and Age Band, 2021-2025

Table 3 - Consortia-Led Apprenticeship Completions by Programme and Gender, 2021-2025

Table 4 - Craft Apprentices who received Certification by Programme and Gender, 2021-2025