Accirding to the Irish Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD, 17 apprenticeship programmes will be developed during 2022.

The development of the new programmes are intended to help deliver on the commitments made under the Programme for Government to support and drive the economy, while addressing the skills requirements identified across society.

Minister Harris said: “I’m delighted to announce the development of these new programmes today, which are a vital step towards increasing annual apprenticeship registrations to 10,000 by 2025.

“In order to meet our targets we require an apprenticeship system that is flexible and responsive, providing a strong value proposition for employers and potential apprentices, is attractive and easy to engage with, and which delivers high standards and sought after qualifications, therefore embedding apprenticeship as a preferred route to skills development.

“We now have 62 apprenticeship programmes. Eight new programmes were launched over 2020 and 2021 despite the challenges presented by COVID-19 and we have a further four programmes close to launch. People are responding to this variety and as of last week, we had over 8,000 new registrations this year. Across 2022, we will expand the system further, to create even more employment and learning opportunities for people.”