Policy Forum for Ireland

Morning, Tuesday, 3^rd November 2026

Online

This conference will consider next steps for apprenticeships and skills policy in Ireland. Areas for discussion include priorities for participation and progression, workforce needs and training provision, employer engagement, programme development and approval, quality and governance, and sustainable delivery.

It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to examine the future direction of apprenticeship policy ahead of publication of the Government’s Action Plan on Apprenticeship 2026-2030, and following publication of the Tertiary Education Strategy 2026-2031, alongside wider developments in skills assessment, workforce planning and apprenticeship delivery. Delegates will consider implications of the proposed expansion of apprenticeship, including the Programme for Government ambition to increase annual registrations to 12,500 by 2030, for apprentices, employers, education and training providers, sponsoring bodies and public agencies.

Attendees will also discuss what will be needed to support participation, investment and sustainable provision, and implications for learner support, programme quality, funding, capacity and accountability. Further discussion will consider progression, responsiveness to workforce requirements and skills needs associated with economic development, infrastructure delivery and the climate transition.

Expanding apprenticeship participation
Discussion will focus on priorities for increasing participation among learners and employers, widening access and supporting apprentices from recruitment through to completion and progression. The conference will consider barriers experienced by different groups and the implications of growth for the quality of delivery and apprentice experience, alongside progression beyond apprenticeship and access to further learning and skills development.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• employer participation: making apprenticeships workable and worthwhile for employers - needs of smaller firms, large employers, public bodies and sectoral consortia
• costs & support: apprentice payment structures, employer grants, bursaries and other financial and non-financial support - travel, accommodation and other practical costs - effectiveness in addressing barriers to participation
• recruitment & supervision: practical implications for employers of recruiting, training and supervising apprentices - access to guidance and support for organisations entering the system
• retention & completion: factors affecting withdrawal and non-completion - pastoral, academic and workplace support throughout an apprenticeship
• access & inclusion: barriers affecting underrepresented groups - accessibility, reasonable accommodation and flexibility - implications for employers and providers
• awareness & guidance: understanding of apprenticeship opportunities, entry requirements and career prospects among learners, families, employers and careers advisers
• progression & lifelong learning: movement between apprenticeships, FE and HE, employment and further skills development - accessibility of pathways - upskilling and reskilling
• growth & experience: impact of increasing registrations on access to training, assessment and support - maintaining confidence in programme standards and learner outcomes

Skills intelligence & training provision
The conference will assess the use of labour-market intelligence and workforce planning in decisions on apprenticeship and wider skills provision, including contributions from the National Skills Council, National Skills Roundtable and Regional Skills Fora. Discussion will consider how national, regional and sectoral evidence feeds into decisions on programmes, places and investment, while taking account of employer, provider and local knowledge of requirements that may not be fully captured through national forecasting.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• identifying needs: contributions of the National Skills Council, National Skills Roundtable, Regional Skills Fora, employers, providers and sectoral bodies
• evidence & responsiveness: translating intelligence on changing workforce needs into new or expanded apprenticeship and training provision
• national & regional needs: national priorities, regional labour markets and local employer demand - differences in existing training capacity
• priority sectors: workforce requirements associated with infrastructure delivery, the climate transition, technological change, economic development and strategic investment
• demand & provision: gaps between identified workforce demand and the availability, location and timing of suitable programmes and training places
• employer & provider insight: incorporating workplace and delivery knowledge into programme planning, curricula and decisions on future provision
• coordination & accountability: co-operation and clarity of responsibility between government, employers, providers, funding bodies and regional and sectoral organisations
• funding: use of skills evidence in National Training Fund and wider investment decisions - established demand and provision for emerging requirements

Programme development & sustainable delivery
Further discussion will examine apprenticeship development and delivery in the context of the forthcoming Action Plan, SOLAS’ Creating Futures 2026-2030 strategy and changes to the process for developing and approving consortia-led apprenticeships.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• programme development: implementation of the revised process for developing and approving Consortia-Led Apprenticeships - clarity, proportionality, cost and pace - experience of sponsoring bodies, employers and providers
• sponsorship & viability: resources, employer commitment, governance and provider relationships required to establish and sustain programmes over the longer term
• responsive provision: updating programmes and curricula as technology, working practices and skills requirements change - avoiding unnecessary disruption for learners and providers
• provider capacity: implications of expansion for staffing, facilities, equipment, timetabling and the availability of workplace and off-the-job training
• coordination: relationships between craft apprenticeships, consortia-led programmes and other vocational and work-integrated learning routes - duplication, gaps in provision and unnecessary complexity
• funding & sustainability: funding and commissioning arrangements - recognising the costs of developing, delivering and maintaining programmes

Quality, assessment & craft apprenticeship reform
The conference will also consider quality assurance and assessment governance, including implementation of the Craft Transfer Plan and the transfer of responsibility for curriculum development, assessment and awarding for craft apprenticeships to education providers.

Discussion will draw on QQI’s focused review of quality assurance and assessment arrangements for electrical craft apprenticeships, including its findings on governance, assessment security and relationships between SOLAS and delivery providers, while recognising the specific scope of the review.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• transfer arrangements: implementation of the Craft Transfer Plan - allocation of responsibilities between providers, SOLAS, QQI and the HEA - continuity for apprentices and employers during transition
• quality assurance: effectiveness and coordination of internal and external arrangements - clarity of responsibilities as the new model develops
• assessment governance: lessons from the focused review of electrical craft apprenticeships - assessment design, security, feedback, oversight and coordination with delivery providers
• standards & consistency: maintaining scrutiny and consistent standards while supporting flexible learning and programme development
• learner experience: variation in access, programme delivery, assessment and support across sectors, regions, providers and apprenticeship models
• governance & voice: decision-making and accountability - experience of apprentices, employers, providers and sectoral bodies - national oversight

All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science; Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation; Department of Social Protection; Department for the Economy, NI; and Education and Training Inspectorate, NI.