Call to start funded apprentice schemes

A CALL for a scheme of funded apprenticeships provided through local authorities, has been made by Senator Sharon Keogan who said it would “instantly create thousands of jobs.”

“With unemployment soaring again on account of the economic impact of lockdown, I believe that measures to breathe life back into the ailing economy are needed now more than ever,” she told the Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris in the Seanad yesterday (Monday).

Quoting data for January received from the Central Statistics Office, Senator Keogan highlighted the stark figures on youth unemployment – 15.7 per cent for those aged 15 to 24 years, which becomes a staggering 56.4 per cent if all claimants of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) are classified as unemployed.

Minister Harris agreed on the importance of apprenticeships, describing them as a hugely valuable route to both skills development and supporting economic recovery, and thanked Senator Keogan for “her leadership in recognising this untapped potential.”

He stated that 19 new apprenticeship programs are being developed currently, and that the Action Plan for Apprenticeship for the coming five years is also being advanced. Proposals informing this plan are due for publication in the near future.

Senator Keogan reiterated the great need for progress on this issue; “People need learning and employment opportunities; people need support, people need purpose in the present moment, and they need real cause for hope for their future.”