Now we have a situation where there are 9,000 construction related apprenticeships waiting to complete their off the job training. These include people who want to become fully qualified bricklayers, plumbers, carpenters. These are the people who want to help to sort out the housing crisis. But because this government took the eye, took their eye off the ball, it’s now taken far longer for them to get qualified. The backlog partnership, you just don’t understand this, of 9,000 means that a four year apprenticeship can now take up to six years to complete. And because the rates of pay are tied to the number of phases of off the job training that they have completed, these apprenticeships are earning a hell of a lot less than they should be.
Partnership one apprenticeship electrician contacted my colleague, deputy married Farrell. He told her how he’s awaiting 18 months to get called for phase 2 off the job training. Now, this fellow has three children to support. Many others have told us that they were waiting for over two years for Phase 2 off the job training. And I hardly would need to remind astonished that after phase 2 of the job training, there’s also Phase 4 and then there’s Phase 6 before they come fully qualified. So they still have some way to go. Another individual contacted us and they’ve told us that they’ve been waiting 21 months to go into phase 4. What he told us, as he said, most of the work I do is the same as a qualified fellow, but he can earn double while I struggle day by day just to get by. And honestly, we could go on and on with the real life stories of the 9,000 people who are locked out of the job training because your government took its eye off the ball because of the dire conditions. We’re seeing significant numbers who are now dropping out of their courses as the figures here that were provided by the Tisha and a signed letter that he gave to Deputy Farrell. And he tells us that for the last three years, registrations are about 6,000 for craft apprenticeships. For the last three years, over 1,000 people have dropped out. That’s more than one in six craft apprenticeships. They’re dropping out, many because of the frustration, the length of time and not being able to get off the job training. It’s a indictment of this government and it’s supposed attempts to tackle the housing crisis. You’re turning a potential tradespeople from the construction sector away at a time when we know we need to expand our workforce. And there’s also people thinking about Australia, one apprenticeship told us, he says, I’m an apprentice electrician and we’ll be going to ours once qualified. This country doesn’t look after tradesmen, full stop.
I think the deputy for raising the issue, and I would first of all, just make the overall point to him that over 160 people now work in Irish construction. Percentage wise, or construction output is increasing and it’s the highest output across the European 27 member states. You don’t get those figures, deputy, if you don’t have apprentices coming through and if you don’t have an increase in the workforce, that’s the overall fundamental issue. Nobody has taken their eye off the ball. Deputy and respect our apprenticeships, eliminating the number of apprentices waiting six months or longer for their training, predominantly at Phase 2 after job, has been an area of unrelenting focus for this government. Indeed, we serve a separate department of skills for their education, Higher education and research to give a greater cabinet focus to the whole area of skills and apprenticeships, and very significant progress has been made. Covid 19 created very significant and backlogs in respect of apprenticeships, but it is reducing and the apprentice registrations were 8,712 to the end of 2023. That’s up 5% on the end of 2022, up 41% definitely from 2019. So there’s been a very significant change in respect of people signing up for apprenticeships and in respect of craft apprenticeship registrations that increased from 5,271 and 2,019 to 6 and thousand five hundred and eighty eight and 2023, which is a 25% and increase now in October of last year, all of the stakeholders, you know, form the task force with departmental officials, with solace, the naohea, ETBI and etvs, employers, apprentices, staff and their union representatives. And they developed a cross sectoral plan to address the backlog. And I was surprised you didn’t reference that cross sectoral plan that was developed by that task force and the National Apprenticeship Office is leading the response overseen by the department and the rapid implementation of the response plan means that the backlog has reduced by the end of March of this year to 3,460, made up of about 3,3,4,7, sorry, this is made up of phase 2,3,3,4,7, and then phase 4,95, phase 6,18,67 million euro was secured and the Budget 2024 for apprenticeship delivery and about 300 million has been provided for apprenticeship in total. And that was, of this, 40 million was temporary to assist with capacity and training. And so that continues to determine. Thank you.
Tisha. If somebody was doing a law degree for four years and it ended up taking them six years or more. It would be unacceptable if we told her teachers that year, 4 year course now was six years or six and a/2 years, it would be unacceptable. But why is it acceptable for our plumbers? Why is it acceptor for plasters, for breckies, for carpenters? Because that’s what’s happening under your government. You can’t get away from the figures you talked about October. And October there was 5,514 people waiting for off the job training. The figures in January were that they speak to 9,000. That’s why we told you that you’re taking your eye off the ball. We have apprenticeships, the length and breadth of this country who want to roll up their sleeves and get involved in helping out with the housing crisis. Yet they are being frustrated, they’re telling you in their own words that your government does not value them, that they are waiting a year and a half and two years to get the on the job train. And it’s not just phase 2, it’s phase 4 and Phase 6 as well. And these numbers are getting worse. That’s the problem, Tonisha. The numbers are getting worse overall. The number of people waiting for off the job trading are getting worse overall. And what is the consequences of that same? And Harris told my colleague Marie Farrell that over 1,000 of apprenticeships, about 6,000 register in every year, craft apprenticeships. About 1,000 of them are dropping out because they’re 6 sore and tired waiting month after month. Or what should they be entitled to within a short number of weeks, which is their training? It is unacceptable. And I’ve heard nothing from you as to what you’re gonna do to fix this. Okay, so.
Understood. When I mentioned October, it was in reference to the task force that was put through, that was put together, came together and developed a cross sector plan. That’s what I was referencing. And you keep saying nothing is being done. And you just ignore what has been done. And you create the scenario that suits you for the political reason.
Government doesn’t value apprenticeships. That’s nonsense. Of course government values apprenticeships. Come on. The nonsense, that kind of language is grand for the politics and back and forth, but it doesn’t have, make any real sense. We want to grow, craft, friendships and construction, and we’ve expanded. I mean, there are no 17 programs across the broadcast increase of construction cat of con electrical engineering, which are relevant to the construction sector. So we’ve actually expanded and that includes deploying the electrical to Geo drilling scaffolding programs and so forth. And the numbers are increasing. Deputy, the numbers who register are increasing. Just cuz you stand up and say it’s getting worse doesn’t mean that’s the truth. The numbers of people who are registering for construction apprenticeships is on the increase, 4,797 and 2022 across 17 programs that would up to close to 5,000 and 2023. And so far this year, 1,000 three 2 apprentice of a registered a rate which would lead to a further annual increase for 2024. So 2022,2023,2024 craft construction appendices are on the increase. That’s the reality now and we have to deal with the backlog. Please.
Can we have order, please?