Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a few questions to ask. I apologise that I did not get to hear all of the presentations, but I will have an opportunity to look back at the transcript. I also had the opportunity to read the submissions made prior to the meeting.

I will have the opportunity to look back at the transcript, and I read the submissions prior to the meeting. The witnesses mentioned that the 1967 legislation is now over 50 years old. Is it necessary to examine the legislation and consolidate the Acts to make the process more efficient? The committee could look at that.

Engagement with career guidance teachers is very important. Are there sufficient numbers of career guidance teachers to enable such engagement? It would appear that apprenticeships suffer from a lack of parity of esteem, which is an issue we have to address for our younger people who are getting ready to leave school. The career guidance teacher has a big role to play on that.

Will the witnesses provide more information about the promotion of traineeships, as opposed to apprenticeships? That is another important area.

The Government has proposed increasing the National Training Fund between now and 2020. The witnesses are liaising with industry. Is industry supportive of that proposal?

On the issue of women taking up apprenticeships, women tend to avail of flexible working arrangements. Are there training courses that are offered on those terms?

In its submission, the Department stated that traineeships in the past were associated primarily with unemployed people, but as unemployment levels have dropped this has obviously impacted on uptake. Has this resulted in a drive towards attracting second level students to traineeships? Are different courses available to people in their late 40s or early 50s who are unemployed, including those who have taken redundancy? I am thinking of the employees of Bord na Móna. We must be able to attract these people to different types of classes to ensure they remain employable. They are only halfway through their working lives.

Do the witnesses believe that some form of positive discrimination could be applied to apprenticeships and traineeships to encourage a greater uptake? By that I mean possible tax breaks for employers or employees, perhaps by allowing people who have been on benefits to retain a medical card. Would that help?