Government Looking to Reduce Apprenticeships By 1 Year to Fix Labour Shortages – What Are the Possible Implications?
In January 2026, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, James Lawless, signalled that he is exploring ways to reduce some construction apprenticeships from 4 to 3 years. Irish Times. The proposal outlined by the minister has been referred to Solas and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to examine whether parts of training programmes can