THE OPPOSITION has challenged the Government to do "much more" to help almost 1,500 apprentices who have lost their jobs due to the slowdown in the construction sector.
Figures released last month by the employment and training organisation Fás show 1,442 apprentices have been made redundant since the downturn in the construction industry began.
Of these trainees, 984 are now signing on, compared with 344 in January of last year, as the Live Register total in July rose to its highest level since February 1998.
Fine Gael enterprise spokesman Leo Varadkar TD says he is deeply concerned at the massive increase in redundant apprentices and at the Government's attitude to the problem.
"Instead of addressing this issue through retraining, the Tánaiste has taken the wrong step of cutting spending on apprenticeships by €19 million for the remainder of the year," he said.
The Fás apprentice programme has seven alternating phases of training: four on-the-job with an employer and three off-the-job in a Fás training centre and an institute of technology or college of further education. There are 26 designated trades taught in the system.
Mr Varadkar said trainees had been "hammered" by the recession. "Most of these apprentices are already highly trained, with 473 having completed four of the seven modules, including nine months of on-the-job training and 30 weeks of study. Yet because of the economic downturn and the collapse in the housing sector, they cannot get on-the-job placements to complete their training."
Fás says it has implemented measures to help redundant apprentices, including a register of redundant trainees and allowing out-of-work trainees to move on to the next off-the-job phase of training without completing the preceding on-the-job training.
Fás confirmed it is examining ways of recognising the on-the-job training for apprentices sourcing employment outside the State.
Bríd O'Brien, senior policy officer with the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, said many of those made redundant from the industry have found themselves in a bind due to the specific nature of their training.
