Regional apprenticeship centres pivotal to delivering housing and infrastructure targets – Scahill

The growth and availability of apprenticeships are essential to tackling the housing crisis and meeting infrastructure and climate targets across the regions, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Senator Gareth Scahill said that more regional apprenticeship centres must exist to tackle the growing demand for skilled tradespeople throughout the country.

Senator Scahill said: “The Programme for Government is committed to investing in and growing apprenticeships, particularly in construction, retrofitting and healthcare. Ensuring we have a pipeline of delivery of a skilled workforce is not only crucial for housing, but pivotal if we are to deliver essential infrastructure projects and meet our 2030 climate targets.

“My own area of Roscommon doesn’t have its own Apprenticeship Training Centre. This shouldn’t be the case, there are significant cost saving and opportunity benefits for students in targeting underserved areas like this and I have made representations to the Minister for Higher Education in this regard.

“All householders are aware of the demand for builders right now and the difficulties to find a plumber, electrician or carpenter have been well documented. Tradespeople can pick and choose their jobs, which is why an apprenticeship should be an attractive career path for many school leavers, but our apprenticeship options and facilities need to be more dynamic and responsive.

“Assisting constituents to apply for the Warmer Homes Scheme, I learned that SEAI data shows the average wait time for this scheme was 20 months in 2023 and 17 months in 2024. It is unacceptable to expect people to wait this long to retrofit their homes, particularly with higher energy costs.

“We must act now by identifying the skills gaps and by targeting regions where provision is currently lacking. It’s vital that there are further education and training centres in every part of the country to meet demand for skilled workers.”