Number of public service apprenticeships to be doubled to 750 by 2025 under new plan

Nine new apprenticeship programmes have been announced, in a bid to double the number of public service apprenticeships by 2025.

On Tuesday, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe launched the Public Service Apprenticeship Plan 2022-2025.

The plan, which will be overseen by the two departments, commits to new programmes to help increase the number of apprentices in the Civil Service.

The planned programmes include: digital marketing and media; executive officer (EO) generalist; planning technician; healthcare assistant; architectural technician; civil technician; junior investigator in the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc); and a paramedic programme in the health service.

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The two departments will establish and co-chair a public service apprenticeship leadership group (PSALG) to oversee the continuing implementation and delivery of the agreed actions.

The PSALG will establish proportionate targets for the employment of apprentices within departments and other public service bodies.

All Government departments, HSE, and the Local Government Management Agency will report on how they intend to meet the proportionate targets set.

The local authorities and the HSE will recruit at least five craft apprentices per organisation annually.

Last year, there were 373 apprentices registered with public service employers such as the Civil Service, the Defence Forces and local authorities, an increase of 103 on the 2021 registrations.

The apprentices were on over 20 different programmes in areas as diverse as cybersecurity, accounting technician, recruitment, heavy vehicle mechanics and stonecutting and stonemasonry.

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Mr Harris said there has been an “unrelenting focus” on apprenticeship since the establishment of the department.

“The number of people registering as apprentices shows this has worked. However, it is not enough for us to simply encourage businesses and learners to consider an apprenticeship. The Government must open itself up to apprenticeship opportunities,” he said.

“We have set ourselves an ambitious target of 750 apprenticeships in the public sector by 2030. Today, we have 373. This plan will create new apprenticeships and new opportunities for careers in the public service.”

Mr Donohoe said he was “delighted” the plan has received widespread support across Government.

“We have already received specific commitments from departments eager to participate in one or more apprenticeship programmes, while a smaller number of departments are actively leading on the development of new programmes,” he added.

“In the Department of Public Expenditure, we have overseen the successful recruitment of more than 100 ICT apprentices into the Civil Service earlier this year, and we know we need to do more.”