Minister announces 10 new apprenticeships across different sectors
Creating parity of esteem for apprenticeships has been a central part of the department’s agenda, Minister Simon Harris said. Picture: Jim Coughlan
Ten new apprenticeships are to be rolled out in 2023 across tech, engineering, farming, horticulture and hospitality.
Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris announced that the new programmes to be introduced next year are on top of a further 11 new apprenticeships currently in development.
The new courses, a mix of levels 6, 7, 8 and 9 qualifications, are mainly due to be rolled out by the end of next September. This includes a level 9 in executive cheffing and a level 6 in digital marketing and media.
Creating parity of esteem for apprenticeships has been a central part of the department’s agenda, Mr Harris said. “I genuinely believe the reform we have been driving over the past two years in the area of apprenticeship has already helped the option become front and central in discussions round the dinner table when people are talking about options for learning, upskilling or reskilling.”
The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 includes a target to reach 10,000 new registrations every year by 2025. Apprenticeship registrations in 2021 were the highest they have been since 2007, with 8,607 apprentices employed on 62 programmes.
Separately, the Department of Further and Higher Education also expected that the end-of-year numbers for 2022 will be more than 26,000 apprentices, an increase of some 45% over the apprenticeship population in 2019.
Minister of State for Skills and Further Education, Niall Collins, said: “We urgently need people in a variety of different industries to help employers, and society as a whole.
“That’s why we have put such an emphasis on apprenticeships, and I’m delighted to see the number of registrations remaining high, as well as so many new programmes coming down the line."
