Mr. Andrew Brownlee:

I will start with the general questions and I will hand over to Ms Hanney and Ms Gallagher on the specific questions on the ETBs.

First, I agree. How we communicate it has been a big focus for SOLAS over recent years and certainly since I became CEO in September 2019. We have done a significant amount of work with the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, the National Parents Council and the Irish Second-Level Students' Union to try to build awareness of FET and apprenticeship opportunities. I believe we are getting a higher profile and people are starting to have those conversations when discussing post-second level choices, but there is a long way to go and it requires concerted investment. We have to change the hearts and minds of parents, their children and the guidance counsellors. The guidance counsellors are registered teachers and they probably come from a higher education background and pathway. We must show them what is on offer in further education and training and apprenticeship.

There is also a job of work to be done with the schools. We talk a great deal about school league tables and all the focus is on the CAO. We must do more work to develop vocational options and pathways in schools, whether that is giving an apprenticeship taster in transition year programmes or delivering FET modules as part of the senior cycle, which should be a big issue to consider as the senior cycle is reviewed. It would expose students to those vocational and technical experiences. Some of the single-sex schools do not have the teaching capability to offer the types of technical and vocational options needed to expose a wider base of people.