Almost 3,400 drop out of 'outdated' apprenticeships in three years
Of the 3,376 craft courses abandoned over the past three years, meanwhile, 888 of them were electrical apprenticeships.
Nearly 3,400 craft trade apprentices dropped out of their courses in the last three years, with one Dublin man criticising the system as “treating men like they’re kids”.
Some 3,376 people who engaged in craft apprenticeships failed to finish their course between 2021 and December 2023, according to records released by further education body Solas.
The figures suggest that, in terms of the 19,842 new craft apprenticeships registered in those three years, just under 20% will fail to finish their course.
Apprenticeships in Ireland are typically slated to take four years and cover a range of craft and professional trades, although with legacy backlogs for work placements, stemming from covid, the average length of time for completion at present is closer to six years.
The Government has repeatedly cited the importance of craft apprenticeships — such as those training electricians, bricklayers, and motor mechanics — in terms of alleviating the country’s housing crisis, with former Minister for Further Education and new Taoiseach Simon Harris noting last November that the skills provided by qualified apprentices are “critical for our societal well-being, and they are critical for our future”.
However, records released by the Department of Further Education to Sinn Féin TD Mairead Farrell show that, in addition to the department missing its targets for new apprenticeship registrations over the past three years, more than 1,000 people per year are quitting their craft courses before receiving their qualification.
In 2021 the Department raised its target of 9,000 new apprenticeships per year to 10,000, to be achieved by 2025; however, the 9,000 mark itself has yet to be breached, with 8,712 new registrations recorded in 2023.
That figure comprised 6,588 craft apprentices, and 2,124 consortia courses, with hairdresser and accounting technician the most popular of those latter qualifications newly registered over the past two years.
The percentage rate of increase for those consortia apprenticeships has also exceeded that of craft courses for each of the past seven years. Of the 3,376 craft courses abandoned over the past three years, meanwhile, 888 of them were electrical apprenticeships.
Adam Kelly, a 25-year-old Dubliner and apprentice electrician in the second year of his course, said the number of drop-outs doesn’t surprise him, although in his opinion the blame “isn’t on the apprenticeship, it’s on the system”.
He said:
“Basically it’s a system designed in the 80s and 90s that hasn’t progressed since. It functions as if everyone has just left school.
“You have to remember a lot of these guys won’t have been in a classroom in 10 years, and when they were in a classroom it wasn’t for them, they couldn’t sit still or whatever because they needed a different way to get the best out of them. If they treated you like an adult you’d definitely be getting more out of it.”
Adam said the low starting wages of trainee apprentices are a further turn-off, with an initial wage of €8.50 per hour the standard for a new craft apprentice, fully €4.20 below minimum wage.
“A lot of people are turned off by the wages. We’ve a cost-of-living crisis, it’s very hard to come out with anything on €1,300 a month with all of your bills. I’m lucky in that I can live at home, but what if you didn’t? I know lads with a kid or two, what do you do in that position?” he asks.
Asked what he would change, Adam said: “I’d pay the lecturers better so they’re more invested. You have to look at starting apprentices on minimum wage as well.”
A spokesperson for Solas said the organisation is “acutely aware” of the impact of backlog delays on apprentices and said an emergency plan is in place to alleviate those backlogs. They insisted however that notwithstanding those issues, the average time to complete is four years.
Ms Farrell, meanwhile, said that the level of drop-outs from apprenticeships is “not a huge mystery”.
“They work very hard and often earn sub-minimum rates of pay. Compounding this problem is the delays in undertaking their off-the-job training,” she said.
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