Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Ahern, Mr. Sharpe and Ms Sheridan O'Callaghan. Mr. Ahern addressed the committee previously. It is great to see them. I am delighted they are talking about apprenticeships. One of the key messages we are trying to convey relates to the opportunities for students at leaving certificate level. There are so many ways for them to get to the career they want. Sometimes it comes down to what other people say. I recently read that people decide to take up apprenticeships on the basis of something somebody they know said to them. In other words, it is not coming from schools or career guidance. It might be coming from an acquaintance, a family friend or someone in the family who might promote the course. We need to work to promote the programme.

As the witnesses and the Chairman said, the Minister, Deputy Harris, has introduced the CAO reform that allows applications for apprenticeships along with all our further and higher education courses. Ms Sheridan O'Callaghan mentioned that there are different PLCs and that students might have a choice of doing a PLC to try something out. This may sound a bit cheeky, but I am not sure any of us still know what we will be doing. People will only have two or three jobs or careers in their lifetime. Last week, the expert group on future skills needs said that it wanted to develop a leaving certificate and a secondary school experience that would leave people with an appetite for learning.

That was a great thing to say because in all ways, be it in a practical learning way or in an academic way, people might come back in their 30s and 40s and consider doing more courses and we might build a culture of lifelong learning. The leaving certificate could potentially be improved so that we leave students with a better feeling about education and about doing further and higher education.

There are 60 apprenticeships and another 18 are being developed on apprenticeships.ie. We are trying to encourage employers to come on board. Part of what I try to do is talk to businesses and tell them about this programme if they are worried about staff shortages or recruitment and retention. It could be in so many areas such as hairdressing, biopharma, accounting, real estate or auctioneering. How could we encourage employers to think about taking on a young student or a student of any age into an apprenticeship programme? What would be a good way for employers to look kindly on taking on somebody?

Career guidance counsellors were mentioned. Mr. Sharpe mentioned that career guidance teachers are not counsellors and that counsellors are not career guidance teachers. Does some work need to be done on that? Mental health supports and well-being were also mentioned. We spoke earlier about supports like mymind.organd turn2me.ieand the helpline number is 50808. Do the witnesses know of any friends or anyone who might have accessed online supports when it comes to health and well-being that are out there to support students?