Take-up of construction-related apprenticeships plummets

JUST one person started an apprenticeship in painting and decorating in the south-west region last year.

Nationally, the number who have embarked on a such a career path plunged from 161 in 2006 to 19 in 2009, further evidence of the rapidly declining construction sector.

There was also a sharp drop in the take-up of plumber apprenticeships, with 127 signing up nationally last year compared to 1,500 in 2006. Carpenter apprenticeships fell from 1,907 to 140.

Overall the number of construction-related apprenticeships plunged from 7,114 in 2006 to 1,115 last year.

Electricians apprenticeships fell from 2,269 to 523 while plasterers dropped from 220 to 14.

In the south-west, which covers Cork and Kerry, just four people signed up to become bricklayers last year and 23 decided to start an apprenticeship in carpentry and joinery — a fall from 321 in 2006.

In Cork and Kerry just 162 construction apprenticeships were started last year, down from over 1,000 in 2006.

The figures were released by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) at its annual conference in Cork last night.

Alan Gallagher of Visa First, a firm that organises visas for Irish people looking to travel abroad said there has been a “massive” hike in the number of people working in construction looking to work abroad.

“It’s mostly people from the construction industry that are enquiring about visas. Plumbers, welders, carpenters, engineers, they are all interested,” he said.

Meanwhile, trainers with reduced work because of the drop in apprenticeships numbers may be redeployed to cater for additional third-level college applicants in the autumn.

But rather than the training centres for FÁS apprentices being amalgamated — they are run from 12 institutes of technology and the further education colleges in Mallow, Co Cork and Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin — staff look set to be given other duties.

There had been uncertainty over the position of these centres but the Higher Education Authority has confirmed they will not be shut and staff will be retained. It is understood the number of personnel involved is about 400 trainers and lecturers and around 300 support staff.