Trainees and apprentices will lose allowances or face charges

While student grants are being kept at current levels, trainees and apprentices face the loss of allowances or additional charges from next year.

The department of Education and Skills will pay eligible third-level students the same grant rates next year and, in a move welcomed by the Union of Students in Ireland, has not changed the incomes needed to qualify.

However, a previously-announced €250 increase, bringing student contributions to €2,750, will still go ahead. Apprentices, meanwhile, will face a pro-rata payment for the first time for their period of training at institutes of technology.

From next year, the department will no longer pay the contribution charge to colleges for Fás apprentices for the two 10-week periods they spend in Institutes of Technologies.

The measure means two €540 payments due by around 10,000 apprentices during their four years of training, bringing an annual saving of €1.6m for the department. It was described by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland as a swingeing attack on student participation, upskilling and re-skilling.

Mr Quinn defended the ending of payments of training allowances to participants in Fás and Youthreach programmes, who also retain their social protection payments. This will save the minister €5m next year while a further €2.1m in 2014 and €6.7m a year from 2015 will be saved by abolishing a €20 bonus paid to long-term unemployed since a time when incentives were needed to get them into training.

The minister rejected suggestions the measures were unfair on young people.

“I don’t believe that young people, aged 18 coming out of the school system, should automatically go on welfare. If they can’t get a job, they should be in further education or training,” he said.

A reduction of €25m from third-level colleges budgets drew anger from the Irish Federation of University Teachers. But Mr Quinn said they have enough cash reserves to withstand his decision to restore, in 2015, funding taken away this year instead of next year, and continue providing services at the same level as this year.