Over 13,400 apprentices on the waiting list for training

OVER 67 per cent of all apprentices are now on a waiting list to access off-site training, as Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward for Dublin Mid-West has accused the Government of “hiding the full extent of the crisis” as the waiting lists continue to grow.

There are now13,440 apprentices on a waiting list to access off-site training – with 2,273 on waiting lists from Dublin & Dun Laoghaire ETB area, which includes Dublin Mid-West.

According to Mark Ward, TD, in March this year there were 6,928 apprentices on a waiting list and by May that had increased to 9,071. When the issue was raised on July 8, he said he was “shocked” to hear that there were “over 10,000” on the waiting list.

Speaking about the figures, he said: “Figures released to Sinn Féin spokesperson for further and higher education, Rose Conway-Walsh, by the department show that the Minister knew then that the figure was in fact 13,440 and 2,273 are from the Dublin & Dun Laoghaire ETB area, which includes my area of Dublin Mid-West.

“I can only surmise, it was a clear attempt to hide the truly alarming rate of increase in the waiting lists after months of claiming the government was taking steps to address the problem.”

Deputy Mark Ward went on to say that he has been contacted by many apprentices who are “in despair” at the situation as they will be “trapped” on apprentice wages for longer than they should.

He continued: “One has been rescheduled multiple times and has just been informed he won’t be able to access training until January 2022. This means his four-year apprenticeship will take over five years to complete. Another apprentice has been waiting since the pandemic began and has still not been able to access a place.”

“Despite repeated assurances that action would be taken, waiting lists continue to spiral out of control. This has serious implications for not only their education, but also their income.

“The government claims it is doing all it can to address the issue and has invested €12 million to support additional classes and teaching capacity. However, from department reports we know that savings of €16.7 million were made due to the state paying less in apprentices’ allowances in 2020.

“Despite the amazing efforts of administrators and teaching staff across the country, apprentices are being badly let down when it comes to getting the education and training they need.”