Employers will be paid more to take on female apprentices

€2,666 bursary will incentivise employers to hire women in trades including plastering, plumbing, and engineering

Grants will be available for employers who take on women in a range of trades where men greatly outnumber women — including industrial electrical engineers, plumbers, butchers, and mechanics. File picture

Employers will be paid more to take on women and lone parents as apprentices under a new plan aimed at boosting the number of women working in trades.

Under a new scheme, all employers will get a €3,000 grant for every apprentice employed, but they will receive increased State funding if they take on a woman.