Changes to apprenticeships ‘could pave way for jobs’

Apprenticeships could be set up for entry to a range of additional jobs if the proposals of a major review group are adopted.

The review, carried out for Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, also says employers would have to pay apprentices in new work areas during off-the-job training, in a variation from the current system.

The independent group, led by Labour Court chairman Kevin Duffy, was asked last year to assess the apprenticeship system and make proposals to improve and widen it, with emphasis on the decline in employment and trainee numbers in construction-related sectors.