Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for her warm welcome. I am the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation. There is a bit of an overlap between our briefs. I congratulate the Irish WorldSkills team on being ranked tenth in the world with four gold medals, one bronze medal, a best of nation medal and seven medallions of excellence. We could say it all day long. It is a phenomenal result. This is an amazing opportunity to represent one's country at an international level. I have no doubt that of the team members' commitment and determination, and as Ms Yeates rightly pointed out, the five days a week of training for eight weeks. I am sure all of the witnesses did the same. We recognise the commitment and dedication they gave to representing Ireland. On behalf of the Joint Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation, I congratulate each and every one of the competitors and their mentors. It is a fantastic achievement. The committee will write to each one of them individually.

As the Chairman said, last year there were 15,500 apprenticeships in Ireland but only 400 were undertaken by women, which is an appalling number. Apprentices have a key role to play in addressing future skills needs. My committee looked at the role of apprentices in respect of work permits. We found that during the recession, secondary schools focused more on academia than on apprenticeships that allow students to earn as they learn. We also lost a lot of guidance counsellors during the recession. It is very important that it is not only ETB schools that encourage students to consider the various trades. My daughter is only 13 years old. She started secondary school last year and her favourite subject is technical graphics because she loves maths. I never thought she would be drawn to that. If she had not had the opportunity to engage with a subject like technical graphics at her school we would never have known that this could be the way she would like to go.

It is great to see Ms Mathe and Ms Yeates here. Were there only two female representatives on the team? I concur with the Chairman. I noticed that when the competitors returned, my constituency colleague, the Minister of State, was disappointed by the lack of media coverage. As a Deputy from Waterford, I to congratulate Mr. Flynn and Ms Mathe. I compliment the Chairman for inviting the delegation and acknowledging what they have done. Onwards and upwards. I wish the witnesses the best of luck in their future careers.