“This continued growth in the number of apprentices and apprenticeship programmes is crucial if we want to meet the targets this government has set under Housing for All and the Climate Action Plan.

“We know we need thousands of extra workers in construction related sectors to help achieve our housing goals. The recently published ‘Update to the Report on the Analysis of Skills for Residential Construction & Retrofitting’ estimated a need for 69,000 new entrants into the sector by 2030 to build an annual average of 50,000 new homes and meet retrofitting targets.

“Our skilled apprentices are an asset to Irish workplaces and important in meeting the needs of our economy. We must take every chance available to make apprenticeships accessible to learners, so that they can take advantage of apprenticeship opportunities where there is a need for skilled workers.

“There are now apprenticeships available at up to PhD level across a diverse range of sectors of the economy, in agriculture, health and social care, and the public service, with many more under development.

“We set the target of 10,000 new apprentices every year by 2025 and we are very close to reaching that target with more than 9,000 to be registered by the end of 2024.”

“Passing the 9,000 annual registrations milestone is very welcome as we work with the enterprise community to meet current and emerging skills needs.

“With 77 National Apprenticeship programmes now available, qualifying apprentices of all ages and backgrounds up to PhD level, apprenticeship is fast becoming a central route to skills development. The economic and social benefits for Ireland are enormous.”