Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis na finnéithe as ucht teacht os comhar an choiste. I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee. It is my first education committee meeting and it has been quite interesting to hear all the different points of view. I have a few questions. My first question for both witnesses relates to the current housing crisis. We need to get as many people trained in skills through apprenticeships to be able to build the houses we need to deliver for people. One of the things Mr. Bermingham mentioned was how difficult it was for him to get the initial apprenticeship he wanted to do as a motor mechanic and that his family connections meant he was able to go into plumbing. In many ways, like in a lot of things it seems that if you know someone, doors can open for you. We are reliant on the private sector to be able to provide the different positions. How would the witnesses feel about the possibility of it being done through the public sector, for example, through a State construction company that could provide those apprenticeships so that people can get through? It would not exclude this, but rather provide more opportunities.

Mr. Bermingham also mentioned that he did a competition in Germany. My Mam is from Germany so I have a particular interest. Things are done well there. Doing the leaving certificate equivalent to go on to third level is not the only route to do things like nursing. For example, my cousin is a nurse. She never did her leaving certificate examination. She did a training course after school. It is the same for physiotherapists. When Mr. Bermingham was in Germany, did he get much of an understanding about how their apprenticeship models work? Is that something that came across? If not, that is grand.

I would be interested.

Mr. Scattergood stated that it was only through the fact that he had a friend who was able to do the LCA that he became aware of it. I went to a small secondary school in Galway. There were subjects that I could not do. I really wanted to study history. I did so for my degree but I could not do so at school because not enough people wanted to do it. The issue of not being able to do all the subjects you want will always be there. Schools will place value on certain subjects depending on the teachers they have and so on. Do the witnesses think there is a need as part of the education process that schools are clearer to students about the different subjects that are available? It was quite courageous for Mr. Scattergood to move school after the junior certificate examination in order to do what he wanted to do, because he knew what he wanted to do. From what I understand, the possibility was only clear to him because he had a friend who had done the LCA. The school did not readily tell him that it was available. I would be interested in the answers to those questions. The witnesses can answer whichever ones they want.