To mark the beginning of Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week 2026 (today, Monday 2 February), Unite has released a report highlighting the current exclusion of public bodies from funding for apprenticeships. Northern Ireland is the only region in the UK which excludes public bodies from accessing funding support arising from the Apprenticeship Levy.

The Unite research shows that the exclusion from funding for apprenticeships is coinciding with tightening budgets meaning there has been a sharp drop in the number of apprenticeships being offered by public bodies in the last year. In particular in Translink which suspended its apprenticeship programme. Although £73 million was available to support apprenticeships in 2025 only £48 million was drawn down in the year.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Apprenticeships are an investment for the future. An investment in young people who get the skills they need to succeed, an investment for the economy as a whole and an investment for our public services.

“Public services employ more than a quarter of Northern Ireland’s workforce – excluding them from apprenticeship funding is a huge missed opportunity to increase the number of places for young people. It is time for Stormont to deliver.”

Apprenticeships play a vital role in offering young people – especially those coming from deprived backgrounds – a pathway to a rewarding career. They also are vital for raising economic productivity and have been a key means for public sector bodies to recruit and retain staff in otherwise hard to fill positions.

Unite regional officer Gareth Scott said, “The exclusion of public bodies from apprenticeship funding in Northern Ireland is short-sighted and a false economy. Apprenticeships are vital for public services to fill skilled positions without them; they have little option but to pay out large sums to private sector contractors. This waste needs to end.”

Unite has thousands of trades and craft workers in membership all of whom have passed through an apprenticeship before starting work. The union has sent all members of the Stormont Assembly a copy of its report on Apprenticeships.