This Government is committed to more than doubling the number of new apprentices registered to 9000 by 2020 and expanding further into new areas. Budget 2018 allocated €122m for apprenticeship training, an increase of almost 24% on the previous year. This will allow the Government to deliver 10 more apprenticeship programmes and more than 6000 more apprenticeship registrations in 2018.

The funding will enable the Institutes of Technology to purchase equipment and carry out enabling works for the delivery of new syllabi in 13 existing apprenticeship trades from 2018, in the following areas: Mechanical, automation, and maintenance fitting (MAMF); industrial installation; sheet metalwork; aircraft maintenance; vehicle body repairs; wood manufacturing and fitting; brickwork; painting and decorating; agricultural mechanisation; toolmaking; electronic security systems; electrical instrumentation & instrumentation; and electrical. 

This investment will support an estimated 2300 additional apprentices that will commence in one of these programmes in 2018 once the works are complete.