Apprenticeship Programmes
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-02
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Eoghan Kenny (LAB), Cork North-Central

I am sure that the Minister is aware of this but I want to put it on the record. The figure of 72% came to me through Munster Technological University, MTU, in Tralee, which the Minister is very familiar with and has visited. It is important to put that on the record, but it is also important to outline the broader aspect of it. We hear a great deal about the need to build more homes, deliver major infrastructural projects and strengthen Ireland's competitiveness. None of these ambitions can be achieved unless we invest in the people who train our apprentices. Investment in apprenticeships is not simply an education issue, but an economic necessity. I know the institutions where staff have worked tirelessly to accommodate record numbers of apprenticeships, like MTU in Tralee. It is important that we continue to put this on the record.
Over the last 18 months in the Chamber, we have had robust debates about apprenticeships. There are a lot of challenges facing apprenticeships. I will specifically mention pay and conditions for apprentices. I know that is being worked through with the Department, albeit perhaps through a piecemeal approach. I again want to put on the record that the number of people taking up apprenticeships in every sector is positive, and has been so for the last 18 months.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-02/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:14+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-02