Mr. Michael Fitzgerald:

From a training perspective, it is possible. However, from a practical perspective, an important part of the training is that trainees get field experience out in the network. They spend quite a lot of their time attached to local ESB depots where they have a mentor and competent network technicians looking after them every day. We cannot flood the market and local areas with apprentices and trainees all at once, so one would have to do that gradually over a period to ensure they are safe and can be correctly supervised and monitored.

While the training centre could train more people in order to do that safely, trainees have to be taken through the field and supervised. Obviously, there is a limit to how that can be done and how many can be done at any particular time, given that the ESB is also taking on experienced electricians at the moment. We have a programme of taking in people from the market and training them up. They will also be within the local areas doing their training at the same time.