Mr. Mark Wasson:

I thank the committee for having me here today. I am originally from Donegal. I started secondary school, just like everyone else, and when I came to leaving certificate, there was no word of apprenticeships. When I was going through school, I had slight learning difficulties. I was not very much into books and all of that. I was always into physical tasks, like those we did in woodwork and metalwork. As everyone has said, there was a focus on going to college or to university but nothing was said about apprenticeships. The big problem with being from Donegal, or from rural Ireland in general, is that it is difficult to find employers who take on apprentices. Many employers do not know what apprenticeships are. Many of them do not want to hear about apprenticeships because they are not interested in young fellows who will be going away for weeks. This is a big problem up with us. I went through the whole of Donegal before finally getting an apprenticeship after a while. I could only get one company. After I started out, I went from strength to strength. I have done three years so far. I represented Ireland in the joinery category and I definitely enjoyed the whole thing. It was an unbelievable experience. It definitely enjoyed it all. I thank the committee for having us here today.