Apprenticeship Act, 1959

Education of apprentices.

39.—(1) An Chomhairle may make arrangements for the provision by a vocational education committee of courses of instruction in the nature of technical education of a type which An Chomhairle and the vocational education committee agree is suitable for persons employed by way of apprenticeship, in a designated trade, in an apprenticeship district for the purposes of the trade.

(2) Where a course of instruction is provided under subsection (1) of this section by a vocational education committee for persons employed by way of apprenticeship, in a designated trade, in an apprenticeship district for the purposes of the trade, the apprenticeship committee for the district and the trade may—

(a) by notice in writing served on a person employed by way of apprenticeship in the trade and in the district require him to attend the whole of the course, and

(b) by notice in writing served on the employer of a person upon whom a notice under paragraph (a) of this subsection has been served require the employer to afford to the person time and liberty to attend the whole of the course and to sit for any examinations held in relation to the course during normal working hours without any deduction from wages or any addition to the hours of employment or reckoning such time as lost.

(3) Where a person upon whom a notice under paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of this section has been served is allowed time and liberty to attend, during normal working hours, an instruction which is part of a course provided under subsection (1) of this section and fails to attend, then, notwithstanding anything contained in his contract with his employer, he shall not be entitled to receive the amount of any pay (being pay which he would otherwise be entitled to receive) which is apportionable to the period of his absence from his employment by way of apprenticeship unless he satisfies his employer that his failure to attend the instruction was due to sickness or other unavoidable cause.