Survey of 9,000 apprenticeship employers launched by Minister Collins

MINISTER of State for Skills and Further Education, Niall Collins TD has launched the first-ever national survey of apprenticeship employers at the Johnson and Johnson Visioncare building.

The survey which will be administered by the National Apprenticeship Office will seek responses from almost 9,000 apprenticeship employers across the island of Ireland. The findings from the survey will be published over the coming months.

Speaking at today’s event, Minister Niall Collins TD said: “I’m delighted to launch this national survey of employers. This is an important research initiative and a key action in the Government’s Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025. Apprentices and the enterprises that employ them are an integral part of our economy, in so many areas including Housing and Green Skills.

“Given the essential role that employers and the enterprise community play in our apprenticeship system, I, along with my Government colleagues are looking forward to hearing the feedback from employers and supporting further investment based on the feedback received, which will feed into how the future of apprenticeships is shaped, and will influence important areas such as Housing For All, in terms of ensuring that we have a steady supply of skilled workers meeting the needs of employers. ”

Employers of apprentices across all 66 flagship apprenticeship programmes have been asked to complete a short online survey to provide feedback on their experience of the national apprenticeship system, and how well it is helping them to find and retain talent for their business and industry sector. It is hoped that all employers will respond to the survey which will take no more than 7 minutes to complete.

In attendance at the launch are leading employers and industry representatives in the mid-west region as well as apprenticeship training providers, apprentices and social partners.

Dr Mary-Liz Trant, Director of the National Apprenticeship Office said: “We are really pleased to get this survey underway. We are hoping that all employers will take the few minutes needed to complete the survey.

“The feedback will be critical to help ensure that the system is fit for purpose and meeting employers’ needs. Currently, almost 9,000 employers have apprentices in training. We need to grow the number of employers by at least a third to meet our goal of 10,000 apprentices registering annually by 2025.”

The number of apprenticeship employers has more than doubled since 2016 when the expansion of the national apprenticeship system got underway. At that stage, there were just 3,900 employers training apprentices. To reach the 2025 goal, it is estimated that 12,000 employers will need to be employing apprentices around the country, more than a three-fold increase since 2016.

Up to 10 new apprenticeship programmes are due to launch in 2023 across new and innovative areas, to complement the 66 in-demand programmes currently available. The new programmes will be in the farming sector, horticulture, tech, and construction.