Ms Bridget Kelly:

Pre-apprenticeship courses are available. In certain areas, though, there are no pre-apprenticeship courses or even apprenticeships. Getting employers for some of the women was a big issue. We started to see that women were not taking up apprenticeships, for example, those living in a small town and trying to get an employer. As the Deputy knows, to do an apprenticeship, someone needs an employer. The Traveller women could not get an employer. This was a big issue and there was a dropout as a result. The women could not avail of the apprenticeships. That was one of the reasons.