What is the Apprenticeship Employer Grant?
The Apprenticeship Employer Grant provides financial support from the State to apprenticeship employers who employ apprentices on one of the 37 apprenticeships which have been established since 2016 and which do not attract payment of off-the-job training allowances.
New apprenticeships introduced in 2022 and subsequent years will be included in the grant scheme.
Apprenticeship employers are eligible to receive a €2,000 grant annually for each registered apprentice, effective from 01 January 2022. This includes apprentices who were registered 2019-2021 and who continue in employment as of 01 January 2022.
The grant will be paid in arrears in 2 payments annually, with €1,000 payable in May-June and a further €1,000 in November-December. For 2-year apprenticeships, a further annual payment of €2,000 will be payable in 2023, again with two payments of €1,000 in arrears. For 3-year apprenticeships, employers will be eligible for a further €2,000 per apprentice in 2024.
Are you an employer with apprentices already registered as of 01 January 2022 on one of the eligible apprenticeships?
There is no need for you to do anything regarding these apprentices- you will be contacted by the National Apprenticeship Office in May/June 2022 and invited to submit an online claim form.
Are you an employer registering apprentices in 2022? 3 steps
Step 1: Advertise the apprentice job(s)
Employers who are taking on apprentices from 01 January 2022 should advertise their job vacancy via the free jobs portal on www.apprenticeship.ie. For apprenticeships where consortia directly support recruitment of apprentices, please contact your consortium who will advise.
Not yet an apprenticeship employer? You can submit an expression of interest and complete the process online via www.apprenticeshipjobs.ie/#/employer/register. The Apprenticeship Office in your local Education and Training Board can assist also: Find your local Education and Training Board >.
Step 2: Register your apprentice(s)
Once an apprentice has been employed, they must be registered as an apprentice with SOLAS. This is done via a SOLAS Authorised Officer in your local Education and Training Board (ETB). For contact details of your local ETB click here.
Step 3: You will be contacted about the grant payment
Eligible employers with apprentices in employment as of 01 January 2022 will be contacted by the National Apprenticeship Office during May-June 2022 and invited to submit an online claim form. This will include a request to confirm the apprentices in employment, tax clearance details and bank details to process payments. A first payment of €1,000 per apprentice will then be made to eligible employers. This process will be carried out again in November-December 2022 for a second €1,000 payment and will be repeated annually for eligible apprentices and employers.
Terms and conditions of the Apprenticeship Employer Grant
• Apprentices must be registered within 30 days of their employment commencing
• Apprentices must continue to be employed by the employer at the time of the grant payment
• For apprentices who transfer to a new employer, the new employer is only eligible for unclaimed grant support
• Employers who have made an apprentice redundant between 01 July 2021 and 31 December 2021 are not eligible to make a claim under the 2022 grant scheme
• Employers cannot claim for both the Apprenticeship Employer Grant and JobsPlus for their apprentices
• The Apprenticeship Employer Grant is subject to EU State aid regulations, including the ‘De Minimis’ regulation where employers have a limit per enterprise of State aid funding of €200,000 within a 3-year period. The €200,000 limit includes State aid from all eligible categories and sources. Employers will be required to monitor this requirement as part of their involvement with the Apprenticeship Employer Grant. Further guidance on EU State aid regulations is available on request.
• Apprenticeship employers will be subject to monitoring visits and contact in the usual way by the national network of SOLAS Authorised Officers.
The press release announcing the introduction of the Apprenticeship Employer Grant by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD is here.
The Employer Grant is being introduced as part of the national Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 with the newly established National Apprenticeship Office administering the Grant.