Mr. Paddy Power:

The Senator is talking about how we can promote apprenticeships in the future. I have done a lot of work with the Insurance Institute and SOLAS in recent years promoting this apprenticeship, be it through the Insidermagazine or newspaper advertisements and I was on "Ireland AM" last year as well to promote the apprenticeship. There has been a big push and surge in the insurance apprenticeship in this country and many people have gotten in contact with me over the past year or two asking me if I am Paddy Power, saying that they saw an interview of mine and asking how they can get involved in an apprenticeship. Any of the apprentices who have applied to where I am working have seen different promotional tools that I have done recently and have wanted to change career. I worked in hospitality so there is a sense that if I can do it they can do it as well.

We had more 150 applicants for the job this year and it was the same the previous year and the year that I started but many people got in contact telling me how they have seen that I have made a career change and that they want to do likewise and start again in a new career where they can gain more experience and improve themselves financially and academically. The promotion that is put into the insurance apprenticeship that I am doing is fantastic and I do not see how it can be improved more. Perhaps more apprentices could be asked about their experiences and we could get them out there on an advertising campaign because there is no better way than to get feedback from someone who has been through the mill.