Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

It is also the cycle itself. Coming from a DEIS school, I was also told not to bother with university because I could not afford it. That was my story coming from a DEIS school. I was told to go for a PLC or maybe for an apprenticeship, but probably the PLC because it would probably be better. That is what career guidance in schools at second level is. This is about the parity of esteem between the two different disciplines, but it is also about the stories we hear. We hear about students in Waterford being told they are going on their education phase in Dundalk. That has happened and they have had to get accommodation when they go there. It is a problem not having a preferential educational phase and not being able to list what locations are easier for people to get to. People might not be able to study in Waterford but they might have family in Sligo and could go to ATU Sligo for the study phase instead.

I have heard stories from apprentices saying they cannot wait for the educational phase because their lecturer never shows up. A better response will come from how we treat apprenticeships as a culture within the education system and this can lead to students seeing this path as an option. It then comes down to the pay at the end of the day. A single mother with a mortgage and two kids has to look at what she can do for her family and if a retail job pays more than an apprenticeship and she has bills to pay, she will end up choosing to do retail rather than taking a drop in wages because she has to be able to feed her family.