Professor Dolores O'Riordan:

It can also be a vicious cycle, from an educational point of view, in terms of the attractiveness of programmes. If the sector is not seen to be doing well, parents and students will be less interested in studying it. We constantly see that. Whatever sector is buoyant is very much out there. It is seen to be very productive, with good incomes and salaries associated with it. Inevitably, employability is important to people in deciding what course they will pursue. With the way the horticultural sector is in Ireland, I suppose it becomes less attractive as an educational programme as well.