Early indicators suggest changes haven't affected apprenticeship take up, says minister

Comes amid calls for review from the construction industry

The education minister says early indicators suggest take up of apprenticeships hasn't changed since her department implemented amendments to the scheme.

In April last year, government standardised support across trades and provided a 50 percent increase in incentives for businesses with fewer than 10 employees.

But the construction industry has been calling for a full review of apprenticeship funding, arguing it's stopping people from being able to offer them.

However, Daphne Caine MHK, says they haven't noticed a downward trend in uptake yet: