Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yes, it was 2% in 2016 and now it is 30%. Still, if we are looking at that, there is a significant difference in the growth rate.

When we look at the breakdown of the types of consortia apprentices, from what I understand, there were 48 different types of consortia apprenticeships last year. It is really welcome, as I said, that there are alternative routes outside the CAO system for people. I looked at the last three years and at the top five most popular courses, which account for 40% to 42% of new consortia registrations. They are concentrated in the areas of hairdressing, retail supervision and accounting technician. Why is there a particular focus on those three rather than the other 48, when we are seeing such a growth in consortia apprenticeships and we are seeing that massive annual growth rate increase in consortia apprenticeships rather than craft? That is my final question.