Skills shortages looming as Translink fails to confirm restoration of suspended apprenticeship scheme because of funding squeeze

Unite which represents frontline workers across the public sector in Northern Ireland has called on the executive to ring-fence funding in the budget for public sector and local council apprenticeships.

Under current Stormont rules public sector and arms-length bodies, including local councils, are excluded from the region’s apprenticeship fund. Northern Ireland is the only region in the UK with such an exclusion on funds raised by the Apprenticeship Levy. In the context of squeezed budgets apprenticeship programmes have been reduced and suspended, raising the prospect of future skills shortages.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “The failure of the executive to fund apprenticeships is closing the door on young people learning a trade and developing a career.

“Stormont must act now to ensure apprenticeships are backed in their budget.”

Northern Ireland’s public transport company Translink suspended its apprenticeship scheme last year and is now unable to confirm that it will reopen the scheme due to budget uncertainties.

The scheme is critical to the pipeline of mechanical and craft trades needed to maintain bus and rail services. Unite welcomed comments made by Infrastructure minister Liz Kimmins at the recent all island rail summit where she spoke about “creating high-quality long-term jobs” but called for these to be backed up with ringfenced support for apprenticeships in public transport and other public services.

Unite deputy regional secretary Davy Thompson said, “The executive must remove the bar on funding or ringfence additional funds for public sector apprenticeships.

“Apprenticeships are vital for young people and also make a huge contribution to overcoming skilled staff shortages.”

Unite represents the majority of Translink’s workforce and is the only union representing workers in Translink’s engineering department.