Minister Harris announces new €2,000 support for apprenticeship employers

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, has today (Sunday) announced the introduction of an annual grant of €2,000 for employers who employ apprentices in one of the 37 apprenticeships which have been established since 2016.

This extends financial support to all apprentice employers for the first time, addressing a key barrier to employer participation in apprenticeship.

Speaking today, Minister Harris said:

“Throughout 2021, my department has placed a real focus on apprenticeship and we have seen the effect of that through a significant increase in the number of apprentices that have registered. Today, we are announcing a range of important supports for businesses including a €2,000 grant for employers. This will help address the cost of employing apprentices and encourage employers to consider apprenticeship as something that is excellent for business and excellent for the learner.

“We have over 62 apprenticeship programmes from engineering to accounting, hairdressing, biopharma. You can be an apprentice in your local retail centre or restaurant, an up and coming small or medium sized firm, or the multinational company around the corner."

The new Employer Grant is funded in Budget 2022 and will see annual payments to employers of €2,000 per apprentice per year for those apprenticeships which are not eligible for the payment of off-the-job training allowances. Its introduction means that, for the first time, employers of all apprentices will now have access to financial support, either through direct payment of allowances to apprentices or through the new employer grant.

Effective from January 2022, this annual base grant will be paid to employers who employ apprentices in one of the 37 apprenticeships which have been established since 2016. The grant will be paid for each eligible registered apprentice during their employment with the company. Two payment points are planned per year- June and December.

Minister Harris also announced the appointment of Dr Mary-Liz Trant as the Director of the National Apprenticeship Office.

Speaking today, Minister Harris said:

“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Mary-Liz Trant as the Director of our new National Apprenticeship Office. Mary-Liz will bring a wealth of experience and a dynamism to this really important area.

“We have made excellent progress on the deliverables set out in the Action Plan and 2022 will bring new and exciting opportunities including the further development and launch of programmes such as Advanced Cybersecurity Practitioner, Wind Turbine Technician, Manufacturing Data Integration Engineer, Advanced Quantity Surveyor, Software Solutions Architect, and Transport Operations and Commercial Driving.”

Dr Mary-Liz Trant is a teacher by profession and has been working for over 25 years in further and higher education, holding senior posts in SOLAS and the Higher Education Authority. She holds advanced qualifications in education and learning, including a PhD in education, and has worked and studied in the UK, France and Canada as well as Ireland.

For more information on apprenticeships, visit cao.ie/options or apprenticeship.ie.

Notes

The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025, is available on the department’s website.

The key objectives of the plan are:

objective 1: A high quality and innovative approach. Apprenticeships will deliver the highest quality of work-based learning, supporting and demonstrating innovation to empower apprentices and employers to meet current and emerging skills needs
objective 2: Employer-driven responses. Apprenticeships will be recognised and valued by employers across all sectors of the economy as a key mechanism for building a highly skilled workforce, contributing to productivity and sustainable growth
objective 3: Apprenticeship for all. The profile of the apprenticeship population will more closely reflect the profile of the general population
objective 4: A valued option. Apprenticeships will be available and recognised as a work-based learning opportunity, providing sought after qualifications across the tertiary education and training sector
objective 5: A single, coherent system. There will be a single apprenticeship system underpinned by a clear governance framework with strong stakeholder input

Payment of the grant

Payment will be made to employers at 2 points per year. Employers will have to submit proof of registration of the apprentice and proof that the apprentice is still in their employment at each payment point.

For example, an employer who registers an apprentice in mid-February and submits evidence of that and the apprentice’s retention for the mid-year payment point in June will receive the relevant portion of the grant for the February-June period.

If the apprentice is retained to year end, the employer will receive the relevant portion of the grant for July- December. In 2023, if the apprentice is retained, the employer will continue to receive the grant for this and other eligible apprentices they employ.

SOLAS will process payments in 2022, before the system migrates in 2023 to the National Apprenticeship Office.