Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for attending the committee today. It is fabulous to see both sides of the island coming together to talk sense and see what we can do. The figure I have for youth unemployment for October 2015 is 19.7%. Having started a business in the late 1980s, I saw the dramatic change that it makes in people's lives when they get a job. Their self-confidence and demeanour improve.

It is not just about getting money, it is about meeting other people, socialising and having a break for coffee. It is somewhere they can go every day. We have 37,000 young people unemployed. It is not just a number. For each person in that group it is a very traumatic life to be living. Where I live in Dundrum, I come across people who may or may not have done their leaving certificate and who are floating around. They do not know what to do with themselves and they have not found what they want to do. It is very wearisome. How the hell does one get them to get into some course or something and to keep going? If they remain outside the system and become disadvantaged, that is where trouble starts.

Will Mr. Baldwin bring us up to date on the apprenticeships and what has happened in this regard? These young people I am talking about would be very interested in them. One young person wants to be in forestry, but how does he get into it? I would love to hear about the apprenticeships and it is tremendous we are starting it.

I have said numerous times at the Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation that we have to keep our eye on the local enterprise offices, LEOs. I asked a LEO to help somebody last week and I thought I was getting across that we need personal support, but all the person got was a letter and a website number. I was shocked because I saw a great opportunity to help a person develop their business. I would have thought an official would go and meet the person. It takes energy to do that, but I was very disappointed that they were told just to look up the website. Could Mr. Parnell respond to that?

I would like to ask Ms Croskery whether it is still the case that there is no recognition for the GCSE and so on in this jurisdiction. What has happened in this regard? We had some reference to that in this committee and the Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. Are we now recognising the third level qualifications in the North? She said that 13 pilot programmes are currently running across Northern Ireland. Unemployment is such a serious issue for any human being that I would think pilot programmes would be made into full-blown programmes as soon as possible. I am very passionate about jobs and employment, having had the hands-on experience I have had. I still come across people who do not have jobs and who have nowhere to go every day. They stay in bed and there is no inclination to get up. People become bitter and dissatisfied and that can lead to other, more serious issues in society. They may not have liked school and may have left early. Perhaps they could not stick secondary school.

It is a great occasion today. I am delighted to be here. I wish all the witnesses the best and thank them very much.