Minister Simon Harris has announced a new apprenticeship scheme which will give employers €3,000 if they take on apprentices.
The scheme, brought forward due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been described as a "win-win" by Minister Harris. Currently in Ireland, over 18,000 people are undertaking apprenticeships. Under this incentivised scheme, employers would receive a €3,000 payment for every new apprentice registered between March and the end of the year.
The government have also revealed that there are plans to extend Back to Education schemes. This will mean that people in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment that are not in education currently can sign up for education opportunities ahead of the next academic year.
Furthermore, in a similar vein to the new apprenticeship scheme, the government will plan on utilising recruitment subsidies to encourage employers to hire young jobseekers from the Live Register.
For this payment, employers will receive €2,000 up front, then an additional €1,000 if the apprentice is still employed in the company.
On the scheme, Harris remarked that people involved in apprenticeships would play a “key part in Ireland’s recovery and our country’s future”.
“Over 18,000 people are currently undertaking an apprenticeship across a wide range of occupations from electrical, construction and engineering roles to healthcare, information technology and financial services. Our ambition is to see that number grow and the Government provided funding for this new incentive for employers in the July stimulus package.
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“It is a really exciting option for people of different ages, genders and backgrounds, career changers and school leavers, to forge brilliant careers for themselves.
“It’s a win-win: help develop an apprentice’s potential while you develop your company.”
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys remarked that the new scheme for employers will “ensure an apprentice pipeline as the labour market recovers, providing skilled, sustainable career opportunities for young people”.
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