Ms Meadhbh Costello:

We fully agree with the proposal to operate a pilot model of a shared apprenticeship scheme. We have seen something similar work in Europe. There are a couple of countries that operate models like that. I think there was one attempt in the south of the country to have something in the construction space. I am not sure how far that progressed. It offers real opportunity for smaller companies in particular but also seasonal employment where you might be busier at one time of the year and at another there may not be work there for the apprentice to get the training they need. It is an important avenue to explore also because we see that apprenticeship programmes are very general for some employers. Employment is now becoming a lot more discrete whereby you focus on specific aspects of a supply chain that leads to an overall occupation. Perhaps your employment does not cover the full aspect that individual apprentice needs to undertake their on-the-job training. The ability to share across multiple employers that would be able to offer a variety of experience would give them a more fleshed-out experience and the level of training they need in the workplace.