FAS figures for release today are expected to show a 50 per cent increase in registrations for apprenticeships. In the year ending December 1997, 5,794 school-leavers were accepted on FAS courses, compared with 3,861 in the previous year.
The Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney, will be presenting the first 150 graduates of the new standards-based system of apprenticeship with their National Craft Certificates this morning. The system puts the emphasis on the level of verifiable skills achieved rather than time served.
Her Department has invested £30 million in the system in an effort to bridge the skills gap. The latest sector to be affected is the ESB. It has just concluded an agreement to increase the rate for new contract electricians from £13,000 to nearly £16,500.