€8m Capital Funding Announced For Trade Apprenticeships

Capital funding of €8 million has been secured for 10 Institutes of Technology nationwide to help increase the number of new trade apprentices.

Education Minister Richard Bruton also committed to double the number of new apprentices to 9,000 by 2020.

Budget 2018 allocated €122m for apprenticeship training, an increase of almost 24% on the previous year. It allows 10 more apprenticeship programmes and over 6,000 more apprenticeship registrations to be delivered in 2018.

With additional funding the Institutes of Technology can purchase equipment and carry out enabling works for the delivery of new syllabi in 13 existing apprenticeship trades from 2018, including:


• Mechanical, Automation, and Maintenance Fitting (MAMF)

• Industrial Installation 

• Sheet Metalwork

• Aircraft Maintenance 

• Vehicle Body Repairs 

• Wood Manufacturing and Fitting 

• Brickwork

• Painting and Decorating 

• Agricultural Mechanisation

• Toolmaking

• Electronic Security Systems 

• Electrical Instrumentation & Instrumentation 

• Electrical 

Minister Bruton said: "Apprenticeships were one of the great casualties of the recession – registrations fell by 80% over the period. I am determined during my time as Minister to not only reverse this trend and rebuild traditional pathways but to significantly expand apprenticeships into new industries. 



"Building strong pathways to education is key to delivering on our ambition to make Ireland's education and training service the best in Europe by 2026."

(CM)