Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is absolutely fantastic. I was delighted to see the launch of the apprenticeship programme over the past few weeks. The target was increased to up to 10,000 a year.

Mention has been made, including by Dr. Trant, of the broad range of apprenticeship programmes. There are 60 and this is to be expanded to include another 18. I really like the fact that the system is being opened to the public sector. I would like to see local authorities, in particular, benefiting because it will really have an impact in regional areas. There are so many skill sets in local authorities that we do not even know about, including in engineering, roads, communications, housing and planning.

I thank all the speakers. I will direct my first questions to Dr. Trant. On the apprenticeship programme, what is the process for a company to get registered? I have had many queries on this, which is brilliant. There were queries from various companies, including retailers and SMEs. Could I have a brief description of how a company gets registered? How long does it take in respect of retail? I looked up the details today and saw sales but I did not see a category for retail. What is the procedure for retail?

On ETBs and further education and training, there has been a lot of modernisation. I was familiar with Galway and Roscommon ETB as a board member. There has been a lot of modernisation to bring everything online. That is from the operations point of view. What supports are in place for the organisations to roll out SOLAS programmes and further education and training? It was stated there are three areas we need to look at. The Minister, Deputy Harris, launched this morning the regional workshops that will be targeting companies and telling them about additional incentives to take on apprentices. It is so hard for SMEs and micro-enterprises. How are they going to proceed? Where are they going to have the bandwidth? How can the apprenticeship office help them?

How is Dr. Trant engaging with career guidance teachers? How will they support parents?

I have a question for Ms Donnery on Skillnet. I thank her. It is great to hear about the supports she has in place for women, including through having ambassadors and role models. These are crucial, particularly when trying to get people involved in STEM. Reports were produced by Science Foundation Ireland several years ago and it was discovered that the most important aspect is to have a female role model, be it someone you know, such as a family member, or a friend of your parents, so you can see your path is feasible.

Could Ms Donnery state three things Skillnet Ireland will be doing to support different types of enterprises, listing one each for micro-enterprises, retail and hospitality? What is Skillnet Ireland going to do for SMEs and multinationals? How is it getting involved with the regional skills forum, particularly the West Regional Skills Forum? I thank all the delegates.