1516. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans for new apprenticeships to be offered in County Clare; and the timeframe to have them up and running. [65783/26]

Apprenticeship programmes in Ireland operate as part of a national system and are developed through collaboration between industry and education and training providers to support current and future workforce requirements. There are currently 88 apprenticeship programmes available nationally, across a broad range of sectors including construction, ICT and hospitality.

To date in 2026, ten new national apprenticeship programmes have been launched, including Software Testing Associate, Road Surfacing Technology, Business and Operations, Social Care, Robotics and Automation, and Paramedicine. Additional apprenticeship programmes are currently under development including Spatial Planning, which demonstrates the continued growth of the apprenticeship system and its capacity to support emerging workforce requirements across a range of sectors.

In County Clare, Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) delivers apprenticeship training across seven different programmes. Training is delivered at LCETB's Shannon Campus for the Aircraft Mechanics, Electrical, Metal Fabrication, Plumbing, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, and Toolmaking craft apprenticeship programmes. Additionally, LCETB delivers training for the Hairdressing consortia-led apprenticeship programme at its Ennis Campus.

The forthcoming Apprenticeship and Traineeship Strategy 2026 - 2030 will set out further measures to support the continued expansion of apprenticeship provision nationally.