Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate. The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins; the Minister, Deputy Harris; and the Department are doing excellent work to construct a better future for our young people and notably providing a pathway to education or further learning for everyone. That is welcome. I welcome the apprenticeship action plan, which will ensure we have a modern apprenticeship system that reflects contemporary Irish society. It will support learners and employers undertaking an apprenticeship programme. I often think it is a great shame that in our ambition to champion higher and further education, we have created a society that places too much emphasis on the university route and less value on other routes. That is why I think it is important to make young people fully aware of the apprenticeship routes available to them.

Last week was construction skills week and to mark it, I joined the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Heather Humphreys, and Councillors Baby Pereppadan and Brian Lawlor at a special Intreo construction jobs, apprenticeship and training expo in Tallaght Stadium. It was jammers. When I arrived there was a queue outside that stretched right around the building. It was a queue of young people waiting to get inside and start an exciting new career. It was wall-to-wall with exhibits. Third level courses around traineeships and apprenticeships were being promoted. Companies were enticing people to consider joining their team with everything from autonomous vehicle simulators to traditional pitches. It was incredible to see that level of enterprise, innovation and interest. Well done to Siobhán, Adrienne and all their team. Their idea of hosting this unique event in South Dublin County Council got young people straight into apprenticeships and gave many others that first key step to taking up a trade – their safe pass.

There are 60 apprenticeship programmes available nowadays which all lead to valuable qualifications in finance and accountancy, as laboratory technicians, in engineering, as heavy vehicle mechanics, in healthcare and much more. The plan is to expand these types of programmes and increase the number of apprenticeships to 10,000 per year by 2025. It is an ambitious target but I welcome it as it will also help to deliver the housing and climate targets set by the Government. I ask the Minister to consider whether any of the apprenticeships could be turned into traineeships.

At a meeting of the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage last week, we had a presentation from representatives of the Construction Industry Federation who suggested that some skilled tradespeople, bricklayers for example, could learn their trade even quicker than through the current schemes if they were given the opportunity to do it through a traineeship. Getting trained and skilled people out on site, earning a living and building much-needed houses must be our priority.

New yearly grants will help employers to take on apprentices and speed up this process dramatically. Grants are being topped up for those employing a lone parent, a person with a disability or a person living in direct provision, which is welcome and progressive. There is also an additional bursary for employers who take on a female apprentice in a male-dominated sector or vice versa.That is key and innovative. It is at the cutting edge when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

There is enormous demand for skilled workers across Ireland. Our improvement to apprentice programmes will give apprentices the knowledge and experience to make them more qualified candidates when seeking permanent employment. Apprenticeships are a great way to get a foot in the door of many different industries and should certainly be a consideration for people who feel that traditional third level education is not for them.

I am passionate about the fact that apprenticeships and alternative pathways are something that our schools should be promoting. After all, apprenticeships lead to nationally recognised qualifications on the national framework of qualifications from level 5 right up to PhD level. The Minister, Deputy Harris, is also very passionate about this and he discussed these issues with many students at St. Joseph's College recently. I know he is pushing the message that college or university is not the only pathway for students leaving school and there are many options that can lead you to the career you want. He is absolutely right.

I recently accompanied the Minister and EU Commissioner on a visit to Youthreach Clondalkin in my constituency. It was an opportunity to showcase the brilliant work they are doing in a centre in the heart of Clondalkin. It was clear from meeting the students in Clondalkin that they are being supported to pursue all kinds of training, apprenticeships, work experience and qualifications. I have no doubt from chatting with them that they have very bright futures ahead. I was impressed by the range of work showcased by the students, from communications and mathematics to graphic design, IT, customer service and culinary arts. Youthreach Clondalkin is a hive of activity. I particularly enjoyed hearing from past students who shared their experience of Youthreach and explained how it helped them get to where they are today. Youthreach is yet another example of alternative education that should be seriously considered by students alongside apprenticeships.

I am delighted that as a society, we are becoming more open to the many pathways to success in life and the opportunities that apprenticeships can create.

As I have said, the direct route to university is not for everyone and it is so important that students are aware of all the options out there, from level 8 degrees to apprenticeships and PLC courses. We have an unquestioning belief that academic success is directly related to career success but that is not always the case. Students are led to believe that they must achieve a certain number of points in their leaving certificate or go to a particular college to be successful later in life and that if they do not attain those points, they will not get where they want to go. That is not the case.

A horrific amount of stress and strain is placed on the shoulders of our young people as large numbers of students compete for a small number of places. More than 90% of children remain in full-time education until the leaving certificate and 80% of that number apply for a college place through the CAO system every year. More than 65% of each year's cohort go to college through that route. Ireland has among the highest participation rates in third level education in the whole OECD. While this is fantastic, it also speaks to our focus on the college and university route which can be suffocating for students, especially those who do not aspire to go that way. While this is not the remit of the Minister's Department, it also speaks to the need for leadership in the context of reform of the leaving certificate. I am glad this has begun to be debated seriously in this House in recent years because it is absolutely needed.

We must move beyond young people having conversations with their parents, guardians and teachers about the CAO and the points system and start discussing the alternative paths students can take to get where they want to be. We need to allow our young people and their families to discuss what they would like to do with their life rather than just what they want to do in college.

See this speech in context