Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for their contributions and for sharing their knowledge and wisdom on an issue of immense importance to all of us.

Dr. Day referred to autonomy. I agree wholly with her on the point about the autonomy afforded to our universities and how they can use the resources available to them. This has been a recurring theme in our discussions in this room. I agree that additional autonomy should be afforded to our universities in terms of staff remuneration, how they spend the available resources and how they maximise the impact of those resources to the greatest possible extent to ensure better outcomes for their students. This is something we need to discuss in the overall context of what we are doing now, in the context of the Cassells report and how we move forward from here. Will the witnesses expand on their comments on how they see the process materialising? This is an exceptionally important move and we need to include our consideration in whatever conclusion we arrive at.

Many people have raised my next question. How do we effect a cultural change among the parents of Ireland to ensure they place a greater value on the apprenticeship and further education and training sector? How do we ensure they see it as a legitimate route to a successful and sustainable career? I am sorry to target Dr. Day with all these questions, but she will be especially familiar with the systems in Austria, Germany and other locations. In these countries people chose at a young age whether to go down the fully academic route or to go the FET route. Both lead to long, sustainable and happy careers.

I recall visiting the Dublin Aerospace facility three years ago. The chief executive of that successful entity started off as an apprentice aircraft mechanic. He rose up through the ranks. From speaking to him it was apparent to me that he had an extensive knowledge of how the company worked from the ground up. Such a career path is something that does not seem to have any value for many parents at this point in Ireland. The conclusion drawn is that the needs of their children are best served by going to university or an institute of technology. How do we effect that cultural change? It is the opposite in certain countries in Europe not far from here. I am keen to hear the thoughts of Dr. Day on that question.