Mr. Barry Slattery:

We do not have access to the figures but it is obvious there is not a sufficient gender balance in the uptake of apprenticeships. The Deputy mentioned computer science. When we were first asked to develop computer science we did some initial research and scoping. One of the first things the research pointed out - it was obvious to everybody even in the absence of research - was that if young people, boys or girls, do not have access to and opportunities in computer science, they will not select careers in that area further down the line. Exactly the same applies in the context of apprenticeships. Students need exposure to all subjects.

There are limiting factors. The Deputy asked why, despite the subjects being available, we continue to see a limited offer in some schools. One of the obvious factors is school size. Small schools have a smaller number of teachers and fewer resources and, therefore, they will have a smaller number of subjects. Sometimes there are systemic issues that relate to issues such as school size, regardless of the desire to expand subject choice within a school. Offer particular subjects in a school also needs to be viable as a minimum number of students is required. Those are not excuses but the Deputy asked why some of the trends are continuing, even though there is a desire for that not to be the case. Technical issues such as those I described are part of the reason.