Mr. Ryan Dempsey:

I thank the committee for inviting us. As Mr. O'Keeffe said, our skill is building information modelling. This is a new skill so it is in the "Future Skills" category. The event took place over 19.5 hours over three days. As Mr. O'Keeffe said, our background was in college but I see potential for BIM to become an apprenticeship. There is a skills shortage in the construction industry at the moment. There must be a greater emphasis on bringing people into the industry, including other apprentices. Speaking from a selfish point of view, there must be a better roadmap so that students know the options out there. There is an emphasis on going to college, but if the right roadmap is in place, students will know that apprenticeships are a viable option and they can get great careers from them. The people around me show the immense potential of apprenticeships, which can allow people to represent their country. It is not just about college. It is important to push apprenticeships and get the message into schools by inviting people in to speak.

The Ireland Skills Live event was a great success this year. It was great to see the students come in and walk around. One never knew who might come along. I even sensed a bit of inspiration from what we were doing and had the feeling students might follow us down this road. Ireland Skills Live should continue and the media must be involved.